The 7 habits of highly effective people, a bestseller by Stephen R Covey, truly stands up to

its title as a bestseller. It is indeed one of the best motivational books I have come across. I
found the book immediately absorbing and interesting from the very start. The author starts
with his family situation and problems with his son. I liked how the author takes the reader in
as he describes life experiences which are so common to many of us. It is easy for the reader
to relate to the authors experiences. The author then takes a turn from the narration on the
situation and takes us to a world of self-revelations and realizations that he had from thinking
deeply on those situations.
Covey starts with the Idea of success and a successful life. The personal examples that he
gave, made me think about what my views on success are. The pursuit of success starts
within oneself and how we perceive it has a great impact on what we can achieve. He brings
up an interesting thought on how change in perception can make a big difference when it
comes to dealing with adverse conditions. The author uses his sons example to tells us how
important it is to let a person be his/ her own self without trying to influence his character and
actions through our words. It is only when we let a person be his own true self that he/ she
finds his true strengths and weaknesses and tries to overcome them. The idea he is trying to
convey is very good and clear but the way he has written about how everything with his
troubled son became rapidly normal seems to be a bit exaggerated. Nevertheless, the
fundamental idea is conveyed well.
Following that the author writes about the importance of a good basic character and how we
try to focus on other outwardly aspects than this basic natural character we have. It is a very
appropriate evaluation in the present context where individuals are assessed and judged on
how they present themselves, rather than on their aptitudes and how they actually are inside. I
felt deeply satisfied reading this part of the book as it assured me that such techniques could
be learned but being good is something instinctive.
The other part of the book focusses on accessing the 7 habit of effectiveness. Here the author
carefully points out each habit with relevant examples and convinces the reader on why these
habits are essential for overall effectiveness. These habits are very important in understanding
how one can achieve the true success not only in our profession but also in our personal life.
Covey shows how there are no quick fixes to become successful but if one is dedicated and
hardworking these habits will most certainly guide them to a better and balanced life.

Habit 1: Be Proactive
I think that our life is a function of the actions and choices we take. The way we want our
lives to be is solely dependent on the choices we make. I feel that we as a human being are
capable of making the right choices by abandoning bad habits and adopting good ones. We
can evaluate ourselves and bring changes where required, may it be in our perception or in
the way of doing things to increase our overall effectiveness. Being proactive means being
able to take control of the situation rather than being controlled by it. I believe being
proactive has a lot to do with taking responsibility for our own actions to control our lives.
While reading about the first habit, I was reminded of a famous quote by an excellent leader
Mahatma Gandhi, which is Be the change that you want to see in the world. This habit
presented by the author made me reflect on the quote and also about their connection. The
first step toward taking control over ones life is taking control over oneself, to bring changes
we have to start by being the change. We cannot expect to change our lives by simply
reacting to the problems, this will only lead to total loss of control. This idea of being
proactive made me realize how I can bring my life in order by focusing on the things that I
can change and have influence on rather than being concerned with things that I have no
control of. Finding ways to control a given problem rather letting the problem control you, is
the way to go about effectiveness.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

In my opinion having a clear vision at the beginning helps in achieving the goal more
effectively. The approach of beginning with end in mind not only helps achieve individual
effectiveness but also supports group cohesiveness. As a team member and a leader in the
debate exercises which were held in my university, I found that having clear plan and vision
on what needed to be achieved made the whole experience easier with great results. Form a
team member point of view I found the debates very easy to follow, when the leader had
planned out the debate task and imposed the vision on to the members. Also, from a leaders
point of view the team members were able to successfully complete the tasks required by the
debate, when a clear plan and vision for the debate was laid out in the beginning. Covey gives
an important message while explaining about the second habit, he warns us not be too lost in
achieving success that you lose sight of what really matters. I believe that this message can be
related to most of people who find themselves lost in this fast pace of busy life. Moreover, it

is essential to identify and stick by our core values and principles so that we can guide
ourselves to our originally intended destination.Our principles act as guiding tool to meet our
goals, therefore being true to ourselves and adhering our principles till end is very important.
Beginning with an end in mind also acts as a motivation to move forward and handle failures
as stepping stones to success.

Habit 3: Put First Things first

I would like to think of this habit as a challenging act that requires prioritisation of tasks
based on values and principles. It might be ok if we cannot complete all the tasks assigned to
us but it is vital that we focus on important task first, which are aligned to accomplish your
goals. It can be very hard to focus on important jobs when we are busy doing urgent tasks.
Just because a task is urgent, it does not necessarily mean that it should be done first, we can
miss out onimportant opportunities when focus on short term actions. I think the statement
"The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves" made by Covey has a deeper
insight which reflects the notion of self-management. Self-management is an important trait
that helps us keep focused and stay on track towards our goal. It is an act of discipline and
self-control, which keeps us away from our desires and aligns us to act as per our goal. As I
was reading the third habit, I was quickly reminded of my current job, where I am always
faced similar dilemmas. I am in dilemmas struggling to prioritise different tasks aligned to
me, which lead to poor performance and a sense of dissatisfaction regarding my job and my
contribution. The examples and clarifications provided by Covey on how to effectively
manage ourselves gave me a deeper understanding on what was required from my job and
how I could get satisfaction out of it.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

To me win-win is the most appropriate strategy above all, which is based on mutual cooperation and understanding between different parties. This strategy acts for the benefits of
all the parties involved and promotes fairness in conduct. Other strategies have a misbalance
in them and can have negative impacts or can backfire in the future. I think that win-win
approach is a balancing act between bravery and co-operation. The win-win concept cannot
flourish under competition, as it does not have same result for all the parties and cannot be

applied in all situations. Some time you have to choose a win-lose strategy like in a tennis
match,wherea win win approach is not valid at all. Another part of win-win strategy is going
for no deal if there is disagreements or differences in the values at both ends. This relieves so
much pressure as there is no longer need for manipulation and enforcement of ideas to
influence the decision. This helped me see how I could achieve success without being selfish,
but rather being selfless. The idea of thinking that there is plenty of room for all to grow and
work together along with the approach towards success of multiple parties at same time rather
than focusing on individual success is a truly rewarding process that incorporates mutual
benefit and satisfaction.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then To Be Understood

I feel that to understand someone one has to be a patient and empathic listener. We often rush
to give our response in a conversation without even understanding the context, we talk to
react not respond. This habit is one of the basic needs when it comes to developing
interpersonal or professional relationships. Sound interpersonal relationships are necessary
for us to be able to share, plan and implement our ideas, the start of which is the ability to
understand our counterparts. Understanding comes through empathic listening. Empathic
listening means being able to listen to a persons feelings through his statements. Most of us
think we are good listeners. We seem to listen to what a person is saying, are quick to making
judgements and providing advice and even adding some of our experiences to his stories.
This makes us understand and absorb what we want to see and believe rather than what the
person is trying to tell us. Therefore, it is necessary to listen to a person without prejudgements and without actively trying to put forward our views. Once we understand his/
her views and problems without any perceptual bias, we can then have more objective ways
of dealing with them. When we get the persons view without interference from our
perceptions of them, it is easier to handle situations and make decisions. It also builds a sense
of warmth and faith between our counterpart and us which is very important.
As important as understanding our counterpart is, it is equally important to make ourselves
understood well. It is easier to make someone understand our views when we know his/ her
views. Empathic listening arms us with the knowledge of his understanding capacity and his
ideas, so we can express ourselves in better ways to get our arguments and ideas through to
him/ her. Therefore, I believe that this habit of empathic listening to our counterpart and

understanding him as he wants to be understood is a very important attribute that we should

incorporate in ourselves to be better in our tasks, be it leadership, management or
implementation.

Habit 6: Synergize
This habit seems to incorporate all the other previous habits of effectiveness in order to attain
a creative fusion of different perspectives from people of uncommon interests and
backgrounds. I think that synergy can help unleash untapped creativity by understanding and
valuing the dissimilarities in other peoples perspectives. It also helps us develop new ideas
and solutions that could not have been found any other way. I believe as a leader it is very
important to find synergy with in the group. As a leader one may have different members
with different ideas and concepts that conflict with each other. A leader firstly must listen
carefully to understand the team members keeping in mind the win-win strategy. This will
help to keep an open mind and align the dissimilar concepts on the same side of the table
rather than at opposite ends. A synergy is developed in the group, the different ideas are now
focused on a common goal, which in turn produces new alternatives. Synergy can be
promoted by ensuring trust within the team members, giving them a sense of responsibility
and providing them a clear vision. To me the heart of synergy lies in valuing the differences
not just in ideas but also in emotion and psyche. Furthermore, it helps us to improve the
understanding of our own view and expands the horizons of our perspective.

Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw

This part of the book has been the part that touched me the most. It is the pre-requisite to all
the other habits. It emphasises on how much we are important, as a body, as a soul, as a mind
and as an individual to accomplish our life goals.
We are all very busy in our daily lives: waking up in the morning, doing some household
chores, going to work, working the whole day, coming back after work, eating what is easy to
cook, relaxing on the couch and watching some television, socializing on social media and
going to sleep feeling tired. We feel like we have been worn out every day and used to our
full potential. We wonder why we have not reached any place higher than this when we are
apparently giving our best. But are we giving our best? Have we ever given some thought to

ourselves? To our overall wellbeing? Is this the best we can do? We worry about our health
only when we fall ill. We worry about losing someone we love only when he/ she stops
talking to us. We worry about learning only when we need a promotion. We worry about our
spiritual being only when we are in the verge of breaking down. How can we give our best
when the instrument of achieving all things, that is our body and mind, is so battered and
worn down?
It is therefore necessary to sharpen the saw, to be ready for all kinds of challenges physically,
mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Only when we are fit in all these aspects can we be our
best and utilize our full potential. Being physically fit is very important as it lessens fatigue,
provides strength, enhances immunity and reduces the risk of getting cardiovascular,
musculoskeletal and vascular diseases. Regular exercise has also been shown to reduce
cravings for smoking and alcohol.
To be mentally ready for our endeavours by constantly updating our knowledge is vital to
success in every professional field. It hones our talents and makes our minds sharp. I believe
this aspect of our instrument is usually quite sharpened in the present context of
competitive world.
Spiritual well-being is usually ignored as it is subjective, unseen and does not come forward
often. But it is one of the most important aspects of well-being. I have realised this once
when I was too stressed to work. I went to a beach and sat there for a long time, just staring at
the sea and looking around observing people. It gave me such a powerful sense of my being
that I was shaken, I was renewed and I could restart my ventures with more energy. Spiritual
energy is thus a very strong motivator and a positive catalyst to our actions.
I feel that, for most of us, social and emotional parts of our lives are the centre point around
which everything revolves around. We get education and a job to have and raise a family and
work for eight hours a day to provide for them but we rarely take the time off to communicate
with them properly. Our social and emotional relations partly determine our responses and
relations to others. When we are having trouble in our family then it reflects upon how we
carry out other tasks. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain our social and emotional
harmony to reduce unnecessary stress and be efficient. Good interpersonal relations also
encourage us to do better and can have a positive impact on our career as reflected by the
popular saying Behind every successful man, there is a successful woman.

This habit of sharpening the saw is therefore the most important one which makes us ready
to go out and get things done in the most appropriate, efficient and effective manner. I believe
that this habit should be built up and honed in order to find satisfaction in everything we do.

In conclusion, I found Stephen Coveys The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People as a thought
provocative book. I was deeply involved while reading his statements and moved from his
insights on life as a whole. This book changed my perception about life and helped me see
my goals more clearly. I could relate to the views provided by him with my past and present
life experiences. His book also made me think about my future actions and how I could shape
them, not only to be an effective leader but also a wise person.