Number 1 - Be Proactive.
That's almost self explanatory.
It means you are taking the initiative. You are not living
reactively, but are taking a proactive stance in your
life.
Number 2 - Begin with the End in
Mind
.
The End is really your
goal or your goals. Effectiveness is not just a matter of
reaching a goal but rather of achieving the right goal.
Imagine yourself sitting in the back of the room at your
funeral, and what people could honestly say about you based on
the way you are now. Do you like what you hear? Is that how
you want to be remembered? If not, change it.
Number 3 - Do first things
first.
This means to focus on your most
important priorities, your top priorities. This doesn’t always
mean urgent. The phone is ringing, and picking it up might
seem urgent, but the caller is not always important. It could
be a telemarketer. Focus on your top priorities.
Number 4 - Think Win Win
In personal, business or other
relationships, exercise "interpersonal leadership" to make
both parties winners. Two wins make everyone better off; two
losses hurts everyone. A win/lose relationship creates a
victor and leaves someone injured. Think Win Win.
Number 5 - "Seek First to Understand,
Then to Be Understood"
Communication is a two-way street. To
develop win/win relationships, find out what the other parties
want, and what winning means to them. Try to put yourself in
the other person's shoes.
Number 6 - "Synergize"
Cooperation multiplies the power of one.
In fact, "creative cooperation" may yield a force greater than
the sum of the parts. The buzzword to describe this kind of
relationship is "synergy," which means bringing together a
whole that is greater than the sum of the parts.
Number 7 - "Sharpen the Saw"
There's an old story about a man sawing a
log. The work is going slowly and the man is exhausted. The
more he saws, the less he cuts. A passerby watches for a while
and suggests that the man take a break to sharpen the saw. But
the man says he can’t stop to sharpen the saw because he is
too busy sawing! A dull saw makes the work tiresome, tedious
and unproductive. Highly effective people take the time they
need to sharpen their tools, which are, in fact, their bodies,
souls, mind and hearts. It's time for
"self-renewal."
