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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, authored by Steven Covey Book report in APA format

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey authored the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to offer his expert, professional, and personal insight of seven habits, or traits, exhibited by effective people. While outlining the seven habits, he emphasizes that each previous habit is the building block for the next. He also shows how all the habits are tied together to effectively transition through the growth stages of dependence to independence to interdependence to become an effective person.

The Habits

Covey explains that the following seven habits are exhibited by effective people.

Be proactive

Begin with the end in mind

Put first things first

Think win/win

Seek first to understand, then to be …show more content…

As people, we mostly listen to a person with intent to answer. We do not emphatically listen to the other person and try to really understand what they are feeling and what their viewpoint is. If we begin to truly understand people when we are engaged in a conversation, they will notice this and begin to open up even more.

Habit 6: Synergize

Synergy, by definition, is when the whole is greater than the sum of the parts (Merriam - Webster 1997). To synergize is to work closely and cooperate with others to find a creative, non-compromising solution that is equally beneficial to all parties. This is very closely related to the "think win/win" habit. When you communicate synergistically, you are opening your eyes, heart, and mind to new options, ideas, and thoughts. By doing so, you will foster win/win situations, as well as, satisfy habit two, "begin with the end in mind," because the end is a win/win situation.

By employing habits four through six, Covey says public victory will have been achieved and the paradigm shift from independence to interdependence will have been made. However, there is one last habit to employ: habit seven, "sharpen the saw."

Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw

To "sharpen the saw" is referring to keeping yourself sharp. In other words, you are the saw. It is a cycle of renewal to become better, keener, and more effective. In order to accomplish this, Covey breaks the cycle of renewal down into four dimensions: Physical, Mental, Social/Emotional, and

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