Book Byte #9 "The 8th Habit" by Stephen R. Covey

From Effectiveness to Greatness

📣 Curious Quotes from the Author:

“People simply feel better about themselves when they’re good at something.”

“This power of choice means that we are not merely a product of our past or of our genes; we are not a product of how other people treat us. They unquestionably influence us, but they do not determine us. We are self-determining through our choices. If we have given away our present to the past, do we need to give away our future also?”

“what is most personal ,is most general.”

“No matter how long we’ve walked life’s pathway to mediocrity, we can always choose to switch paths. Always. It’s never too late. We can find our voice.”

“leadership can eventually become a choice not a position,”

“Think about it. People are put on the P&L statement as an expense; equipment is put on the balance sheet as an investment.”

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📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea:

The 8th habit in essence is about evolving yourself to make impact. In this information age, come to past after the industrial age, workers need to feel needed. In order to be a good Leader, you need to help your workers grow into a role and beyond. If their growth is stunted, they will be entirely less effective in their work, as their creativity is stifled, so goes their motivation to see their work finished to completion.

”If you want to thrive in any part of your life, you must find your voice and inspire others to find theirs. Leaders in business are in a prime position to do this, and by instilling trust, communicating effectively and relinquishing some control, they can benefit the entire company.”

There are four intelligences required to live a balanced life, one of growth and meaning. They are:

1. Physical Intelligence
   This relates to subconscious processes that keep us physically alive, like our heartbeat or digestive system.

2. Mental Intelligence
   The skills and ability to think analytically about our relationships and environments

3. Emotional Intelligence
   Allows us to feel empathy toward other humans and things

4. Spiritual Intelligence
   The Small Voice like our conscience , helps us find the meaning of our lives and acts as our north star, driving everything we do.
   
   Leadership is about inspiring others and helping them to find their own path. Most Crappy leaders think its about carrying out the orders and will of those above them, but to Lead is all about having a vision of what your team is capable of and helping them achieve it, not necessarily always looking out for the balance sheet.

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🛠️ Impact for the Introverted

”You could acknowledge that you’re not a victim. You have a choice. The vast majority of the time, you can choose to change something about your situation. All it takes is some initiative and responsibility. When you adopt this mindset and start using your voice, you’ll see that even if your boss is your leader in a formal sense, you still have the power to make a real difference in your own job.”

Mutual trust is the secret to good Business. If one of you doesn’t trust each other, negotiations fall flat, and it’s hard to regain that trust. If you want to gain trust, you have to earn it first, then money will follow. An example would be someone who is selling a online course. If a sense of trust is distilled in the potential customer, then they would be more likely to buy the course, but trust has to be built one way first so they can gain enough courage to buy the course.

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🤝 Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:

What can you do right now in your work to be a leader and help others around you grow?

There’s a lot of people out there who need help, you may even be one of them. Are you building an audience by putting content out there to help them solve a problem you already know how to solve?

If not? What are you waiting for?