The 7 Habits of

Highly Effective
People
Powerful Lessons in
Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People, continues to be a bestseller for the simple reason that
it ignores trends and pop psychology and focuses on timeless
principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.
One of the most compelling books ever written, The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People, has empowered and inspired
readers for over 25 years. It’s also played a part in the
transformation of millions of lives across all age groups and
professions.
No matter how competent a person is, they will not have
sustained and lasting success unless they can effectively lead
themselves, influence, engage and collaborate with others and
continuously improve and renew their capabilities. These
elements are at the heart of personal, team, and organizational
effectiveness.

Contents

Habit 1: Be Proactive ............................................................................3

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind ....................................................5

Habit 3: Put First Things First ...............................................................7

Habit 4: Think Win-Win ........................................................................9

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood ...............11

Habit 6: Synergize...............................................................................13

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw ...................................................................15

Habit 1: Be Proactive
The Habit of Personal Responsibility

Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your

life. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.”
They don’t blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning
for their behavior. They know they can choose their behavior.
Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their
physical environment. They find external sources to blame for
their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it
isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame
the weather.
All these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to.
Between the stimulus and the response is our greatest
power—we have the freedom to choose our response. One of
the most important things we choose is what we say. Our
language is a good indicator of how we see ourselves.
A proactive person uses proactive language—I can, I will, I
prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language—I can’t,
I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not
responsible for what they say and do—they have no choice.
Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of
Influence®. They work on the things they can do something
about: health, children, or problems at work.
Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of
Concern™—things over which they have little or no control:
the national debt, terrorism, or the weather. Gaining an
awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies is a
giant step in becoming proactive.
 The Freedom to Choose

Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over

which they have little or no control, proactive people
focus their time and energy on things they can control.
The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall
into two areas—Circle of Concern and Circle of
Influence.

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
The Habit of Personal Vision

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind is based on

imagination—the ability to envision in your mind what you
cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the
principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental
(first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical
creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a
blueprint.
If you don’t make a conscious effort to visualize who you are
and what you want in life, then you empower other people and
circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It’s about
connecting again with your uniqueness and then defining the
personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can
most happily express and fulfill yourself.
One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to
develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you
want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who
you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into
the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader
of your own life. You create your destiny and secure the
future you envision.
Understand the end result

Begin With the End in Mind means to begin each day,

task, or project with a clear vision of your desired
direction and destination, and then continue by flexing
your proactive muscles to make things happen.
“People are working harder than ever, but because they lack
clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in
essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 3: Put First Things First
The Habit of Personal Management

Habit 3: Put First Things First is the exercise of independent

will toward becoming principle-centered. Habit 3 is the
practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2. Habit 1 says, “You are
the creator. You are in charge.” Habit 2 is the first mental
creation, based on imagination, the ability to envision what
you can become. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical
creation.
This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together. It happens
day in and day out, moment-by-moment. It deals with many
of the questions addressed around time management. But
that’s not all; habit 3 is about life management as well—your
purpose, values, roles, and priorities. What are “first things?”
First things are those things you find of most worth. If you put
first things first, you are organizing and managing time and
events according to the personal priorities you established in
Habit 2.
The Four Quadrants of Time Management

We spend our time in one of four ways, depending on the

two factors that define an activity: urgent and important.
Urgent means it requires immediate attention. Urgent
things act on us and are usually visible. For example, a
ringing phone is urgent. Important things, on the other
hand, have to do with results. It contributes to our
mission, values, and high-priority goals. We react to
urgent matters. Important matters that are not urgent
require more initiative, more proactivity.
“Putting first things first means organizing and executing
around your most important priorities. It is living and being
driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas
and forces surrounding you.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 4: Think Win-Win
The Habit of Mutual Benefit

Think Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix

technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction
and collaboration.
Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and
competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone
else failing—if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life
becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go
around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not
fair, and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore. We
all play the game, but how much fun is it really?
Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive
one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly
seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win
means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and
satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn
good!
To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you
also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate
and sensitive, but you also have to be brave. That balance
between courage and consideration is the essence of real
maturity and is fundamental to win-win.
Why Win-Win?

Many people think in terms of either/or: either you’re

nice or you’re tough. Win-win requires that you be both.
It is a balancing act between courage and consideration.
There are three vital character traits that are essential to
this paradigm:
 • Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and
commitments.
• Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage
and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others.
• Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for
everyone.

“In the long run, if it isn’t a win for both of us, we both lose.
That’s why win-win is the only real alternative in
interdependent realities.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to
Be Understood
The Habit of Empathic Communication

Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend

years learning how to read, write, and speak. But what about
listening? What training have you had that enables you to
listen so you really, deeply understand another human being?
Probably none, right?
If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be
understood; you want to get your point across. In doing so,
you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that
you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the
conversation or attentively focus on only the words being
said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen?
Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to
understand. You listen to yourself as you prepare in your
mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going
to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life
experiences, your frame of reference. You check what you
hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up.
Consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person
means before they finish communicating. Do any of the
following sound familiar?
You might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m just trying to
relate to the person by drawing on my own experiences. Is
that so bad?” In some situations, autobiographical responses
may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically
asks for help from your point of view or when there is already
a very high level of trust in the relationship.
Seek First to Understand

Because you so often listen autobiographically, you tend

to respond in one of four ways:
• Evaluating: You judge and then either agree or disagree.
• Probing: You ask questions from your own frame of
reference.
• Advising: You give counsel, advice, and solutions to
problems.
• Interpreting: You analyze others’ motives and behaviors based on
your own experiences.
“If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I
have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to
understand, then to be understood.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 6: Synergize
The Habit of Creative Cooperation

To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than

one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is
teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding
new solutions to old problems. But it doesn’t happen on its
own. It’s a process, and through that process, people bring all
their personal experience and expertise to the table.
Together, they can produce far better results than they could
individually. Synergy lets us discover jointly things we are
much less likely to discover by ourselves. It is the idea that
the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One plus one
equals three, or six, or sixty—you name it.
When people begin to interact together genuinely, and they’re
open to each other’s influence, they begin to gain new insight.
The capability of inventing new approaches is increased
exponentially because of differences.
Valuing differences is what really drives synergy. Do you
truly value the mental, emotional, and psychological
differences among people? Or do you wish everyone would
just agree with you so you could all get along? Many people
mistake uniformity for unity and sameness for oneness. One
word—boring! Differences should be seen as strengths, not
weaknesses. They add zest to life.
You know you are synergizing when you:
• Have a change of heart.
• Feel new energy and excitement.
• See things in a new way.
• Feel that the relationship has transformed.
• End up with an idea or a result that is better
than what either of you started with (3rd
Alternative).
“Synergy is not the same as compromise. In a compromise,
one plus one equals one and a half at best.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

The Habit of Daily Self-Renewal

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest

asset you have—you. It means having a balanced program for
self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical,
social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.
As you renew yourself in each of the four areas, you create
growth and change in your life. Sharpen the Saw keeps you
fresh so you can continue to practice the other six habits. You
increase your capacity to produce and handle the challenges
around you. Without this renewal, the body becomes weak,
the mind mechanical, the emotions raw, the spirit insensitive,
and the person selfish. Not a pretty picture, is it?
You can pamper yourself mentally and spiritually. Or you can
go through life oblivious to your well-being. You can
experience vibrant energy. Or you can procrastinate and miss
out on the benefits of good health and exercise. You can
revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony.
Or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy because
your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone. Every day provides
a new opportunity for renewal—a new opportunity to
recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All it takes is the
desire, knowledge, and skill.
 Feeling good doesn’t just happen.

Living a life in balance means taking the necessary time

to renew yourself. It’s all up to you. You can renew
yourself through relaxation. Or you can totally burn
yourself out by overdoing everything.

“Renewal is the principle—and the process—that empowers

us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of
continuous improvement.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Covey