In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey provides information on how you can become more effective in all aspects of your life. This book can motivate you to start applying these valuable insights into your day-to-day routine. If you are one of the many people who have not yet read this very valuable book, you will want to read this one now. Here is an overview of the main points covered in this book.
First, one habit that helps us become more efficient at work is to keep a diary or log of our accomplishments. By keeping track of the things we do well and the things we need to improve upon, we can evaluate our performance objectively. By assessing ourselves objectively, we can see whether we are making improvements or not. This is one of the best habits for improving performance.
Second, another habit that helps us become more efficient at work is to make sure we have a consistent core set of business core ideas. The core ideas of your company represent the foundation, on which everything else is built. These core ideas need to be nurtured, practiced so that they can lead to significant improvement in your organization. Just as important, these core ideas must be examined periodically as well.
Third, in business, it is essential that you know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses of yourself and your business are often overlooked. When you are self-employed, you must know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can effectively manage them. On the other hand, if you are in a small business with limited employees, you may not be aware of your strengths. The bottom line is that you must take an honest self-assessment and determine what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are. By doing so, you will be able to enhance your strengths and overcome any weaknesses that may be present.
Fourth, identify your own business goals. One of the first habits for entrepreneurs that is crucial for long-term success is identifying your business goals. By making a list of your desired goals, you will be able to identify what it is that you need to do to ensure that your goals are reached. Next, you need to develop a strategy for attaining those goals. This requires that you think carefully about how your actions impact your business model, your industry, and ultimately your personal growth.
Fifth, in addition to identifying your own core ideas, you must engage your mind with other people’s ideas. This is one of the most important of the seven habits. Remember, when you hear someone talk, pay attention. To the extent possible, talkback so that you can see what he or she is writing. In this way, you will be able to build on what the person is doing.
Sixth, identify the core ideas that define your company. For many businesses, these ideals center on creating a great product or service. In order to ensure that you do not have outdated ideas, identify your core ideas early on. At this point, you should also ask yourself whether your core ideas are in line with the interests of the people who use or buy your products and services. Also, determine whether those ideas are compatible with the needs of your customers. By undertaking this analysis early on, you will be able to make changes as necessary.
Seventh, embody your core ideals. The reason why this is an essential part of our development process is that we all start from different starting points. However, once you have adopted your core ideals, they will become second nature to you. As such, you will have no trouble working with the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis. You will also be more likely to get things done in a timely manner.