Some notes from 7 Habits from Highly Effective People- Stephen Covey

 Bismilah. 

I'm going to try and be consistent on this blog again. I listened to a talk from Seth Godin recently and he spoke of the benefits of writing/blogging every day.

I am currently reading a few books with my team members at Altenew. I will share some of the lessons/takeaways that are in my mind from two of the books today.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- by Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey discusses the concept of P/PC balance. P stands for production of desired results and PC stands for production capability. He gives an example of a goose that lays golden eggs. Golden Egg in this example would be the P and the goose itself would be the PC. Covey makes the case to nurture both P and PC to be most effective. Focusing on just one of these concepts isn't optimal.

See below for Covey's own words:

Effectiveness lies in the balance. Excessive focus on P results in ruined health, worn-out machines, depleted bank accounts, and broken relationships. Too much focus on PC is like a person who runs three or fours hours a day, bragging about the extra ten years of life it creates, unaware he’s spending them running. Or a person endlessly going to school, never producing, living on other people’s golden eggs-- the eternal student syndrome

The P/PC concept instilled a stronger initiative in me to produce more results  (i.e. share my own golden eggs with the world). Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in reading and learning, and not spending enough time in executing and contributing to the world. I agree with Covey that there needs to be a balance between developing skills and achieving results. 

For those of you that are not aware of 7 Habits that Covey illustrates as fundamental are listed below:

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Thing First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell 

Out of the 21 qualities of a leader highlighted by John Maxwell, the one on Vision probably made me reflect the most.  Maxwell discusses the importance of vision in guiding a leader and helping them provide a pathway for their team. 

On a personal note, I plan on outlining a vision statement for Altenew, my family and personally in the upcoming days. Let me know if you want to compare notes and if you want to hold each other accountable.

Hoping these thoughts sparked something in you to contribute a bit more today, inshAllah- NR