1) Be Proactive: Covey stresses the importance of moving from a state of dependence, to a state of independence and finally to a state of interdependence with others. Being proactive means taking charge of your own life instead of letting outside influences take charge of you. This makes you independent
2) Begin with the End in Mind: This one is basically about goal setting, but with a twist that makes all the difference. I have always associated goal setting with business or wealth creation goals. This is true enough, but Covey gave me a larger vision of what it means. A person who sets goals is a person who lives fully rather than just letting life happen to him.
3) Put First Things First: In a nutshell, this, the third of Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, tells us that part of integrity is in commitment. The reason why effective people use appointment books, prioritize their daily schedules and focus on the minutiae of they daily agendas is because they are committed to their work.
4) Think Win-Win: Why is "Win-Win" more effective than "win at all costs"? It's because if you have long term goals, they will most effectively be achieved through cooperative efforts. A "win-win" attitude not only reflects personal maturity and strength of character, it has practical benefits as well.
5) Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood: This is a reversal of the all-too-common human characteristic of "getting your point across" and "having your say." Just a moment's reflection on the quagmire the world is in should make it clear that if our leaders were listening to each other instead of shouting at one another, we would be finding solutions to our common problems. This is as true on a personal level as on a corporate or political level.
6) Synergize: Stephen Covey sums this up with the old adage, "Two heads are better than one." Synergy is working together. Confucius put the alternative to synergy well when he said, "The knowledge of one man is always one-sided and incomplete."
7) Sharpen the Saw: Here, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People turns back to the individual. You cannot be fully effective if you neglect your physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual maintenance and growth.


