The seven habits of highly effective people - Stephen R. Covey

Inside-Out
Personality Versus Character Ethics
Personality Ethic. Success is a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction.

Character Ethic. Success depends on things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule.

Primary Versus Secondary Greatness
Primary Greatness. Goodness of character.

Secondary Greatness. Social recognition for talent.

Paradigm
A model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In a more general sense, it is the way we see the world in terms of perceiving, understanding, interpreting.

Paradigm Categories:

Realities. The way things are
Values. The way things should be.
The Principle-Centered Paradigm
The Character Ethic is based on the fundamental idea that there are principles that govern human effectiveness.

Principles Defined

Principles are natural laws that can't be broken.
Principles are not esoteric, mysterious, or "religious" ideas.
Principles are self-evident and may be validated.
Principles are part of the human condition, part of human consciousness, and part of the human conscience.
Principles are not practices.
Principles are not values.
Principles Enumerated

Fairness
Integrity/honesty
Human dignity
Quality/excellence
Potential
Growth
Patience
Nurturance
Encouragement
A New Level of Thinking
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a

principle-centered
character-based
inside-out
approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness.

An Overview
Habits Defined
A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire.
Knowledge is the what to do and why.
Skill is the how to do.
Desire is the motivation, the want to do.
Happiness is the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually.
The Maturity Continuum
The seven habits move us progressively on a continuum from dependence to independence to interdependence.
The current social paradigm enthrones independence.
Habits 1, 2 and 3 deal with self mastery. Private victories precede public victories.
Habits 4, 5 and 6 deal with teamwork, cooperation and communication.
Habit 7 is the habit of continuous improvement.
Effectiveness Defined
P symbolizes production of desired results.
PC symbolizes production capacity.
Effectiveness is the focus on both P and PC, balancing the two or optimizing P by optimizing PC.
Organizational PC
The PC principle is to always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.

How to Use This Book
First, this material is not something to read once and then lay aside.
Second, shift your paradigm from that of learner to that of teacher.

Stephen R. Covey