7 Habits Essay

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Introduction The 7 habits represent a principle centered, character based, ‘inside out’ approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness.The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey which has sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages worldwide. Covey identified a shift over the last five decades away from a concentration on character and core values, what he calls the Character Ethic, towards a concentration on behavior and actions, what he calls the Personality Ethic. Covey proposed an approach to successful management called Principle-Centred Leadership and to successful life called Principle-Centred Living. Covey’s belief is that we cannot become more successful people just by changing our outward behavior or attitudes. We first have to address our principles, the way we see things in the world around us, our perceptions of others. We will then start behaving towards others in a way that is consistent with those principles. Covey argues that the principles we should adopt are timeless principles that underpin all civilizations, communities, religions and ethical systems. He lists principles such as fairness, integrity, honesty, human dignity, service, quality, excellence, potential, growth, patience, nurturance and encouragement.Covey’s seven habits depict a way of thinking, living and doing that is consistent with these principles. The habits take considerable commitment to achieve. We first have to break old habits and adopt new ones. Covey suggests we work at the seven habits in order as they follow what he calls the maturity continuum, dealing first with dependence, then independence and finally interdependence. The first three habits focus on self-mastery which is required to move from dependence to independence. * Being Proactive * Beginning with

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