Quotations by Stephen R. Covey
There are three kinds of assets: physical, financial, and human. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 1. Be proactive. 2. Begin with the end in mind. 3. Put first things first. 4. Think win/win. 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. 6. Synergize. 7. Sharpen the saw. The three private victory habits (freedom to choose, choice, action) precede the three public victory habits (respect, understanding, creation) and then there is one to renew the rest and that equals seven. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Highly proactive people recognize responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. No one can hurt you without your consent. The most proactive thing we can do is to be happy, just to genuinely smile. Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves. Rather than focusing on things and time, focus on preserving and enhancing relationships and on accomplishing results. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage--pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically--to say "no" to other things. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
You simply can't think efficiency with people. You think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things. If we delegate to time, we think efficiency. If we delegate to other people, we think effectiveness. Gofer delegation means "Go for this, go for that, do this, do that, and tell me when it's done." Stewardship delegation is focused on results instead of methods. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Building and repairing relationships are long-term investments. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Honesty is telling the truth--in other words, conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our words--in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Sincere apologies make deposits; repeated apologies interpreted as insincere make withdrawals. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
If you can't reach a true Win/Win, you're very often better off to go for No Deal. The Win/Win or No Deal approach is most realistic at the beginning of a business relationship or enterprise. In a continuing business relationship, No Deal may not be a viable option, which can create serious problems, especially for family businesses or businesses that are begun initially on the basis of friendship. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Five elements of the Win/Win agreement: 1. Desired results (not methods): identify what is to be done and when. 2. Guidelines: specify the parameters (principles, policies, etc.) within which results are to be accomplished. 3. Resources: identify the human, financial, technical, or organizational support available to help accomplish the results. 4. Accountability: sets up the standards of performance and the time of evaluation. 5. Consequences: specify--good and bad, natural and logical--what does and will happen as result of the evaluation. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Four-step process to seek Win/Win solutions: 1. See the problem from the other point of view. Really seek to understand and to give expression to the needs and concerns of the other party as well as or better than they can themselves. 2. Identify the key issues and concerns (not positions) involved. 3. Determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution. 4. Identify possible new options to achieve those results. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Only 10 percent of our communication is represented by the words we say. Another 30 percent is represented by our sounds, and 60 percent by our body language. In empathic listening, you listen with your ears, but you also, and more importantly, listen with your eyes and with your heart. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
The amateur salesman sells products; the professional sells solutions to needs and problems. He also learns how to relate people's needs to his products and services. And, he has to have the integrity to say, "My product or service will not meet that need" if it will not. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Seeking to understand requires consideration; seeking to be understood takes courage. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It means that the relationship which the parts have to each other is a part in and of itself. It is not only a part, but the most catalytic, the most empowering, the most unifying, and the most exciting part. The combination of the high Emotional Bank Account, thinking Win/Win, and seeking first to understand creates the ideal environment for synergy. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Valuing the differences is the essence of synergy--the mental, the emotional, the psychological differences between people. And the key to valuing those differences is to realize that all people see the world, not as it is, but as they are. When someone disagrees with you, you can say, "Good! You see it differently." You don't have to agree with them; you can simply affirm them. And you seek to understand. When you see only two alternatives--yours and the "wrong" one--you can look for a synergistic third alternative. There's almost always a third alternative, and if you work with a Win/Win philosophy and really seek to understand, you usually can find a solution that will be better for everyone concerned. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Be a good animal (physical), a good craftsman (mental), a good friend (social), and a saint (spiritual). [2004] - Stephen R. Covey
Exercises like rapid walking, running, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, and jogging are so beneficial. Ideally you should try to raise your heart rate to at least sixty percent of your maximum pulse rate. Your maximum heart rate is generally accepted to be 220 less your age. The "training effect" is generally considered to be between 72 and 87 percent of your personal maximum rate. [2004] - Stephen R. Covey