Character Ethic Part 1 Summary
Executive Summary
Part One: Paradigms And Principles
Inside-Out Steven Covey studied over 200 years of writing about success. While studying these writings he began to recognize a distinct pattern surfacing. He found these writings attributed success to either Character Ethic or Personality Ethic. The majority of the literature of in the first 150 years focused on the philosophy referred to as Character Ethic. The foundations for success are based upon integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule. This idea insists that true success can only be achieved if these principles are integrated into the basic character. The shift from Character Ethic to Personality Ethic occurred shortly after World War I. Success literature of the past 50 years credits success as more of a function of personality, public image, attitudes and behaviors, skills, and techniques. Covey suggests that personality traits are secondary to Character traits. If the character is flawed, mistrust and manipulation may be perceived, and there is no …show more content…
foundation for permanent success. Both types of traits are needed in long-term relationships, but character traits have more permanent worth in long-term relationships.
We must understand our own paradigm, before we can effectively interpret the Seven Habits. A paradigm is a model, perception, or theory. We use mental maps to interpret experiences, and seldom question their accuracy. If we do not examine the basic paradigms from which our attitudes and behaviors are created, then changing outward attitudes and behaviors is not effective. The paradigm shift is the experience of seeing something in a different way. Significant changes can be accomplished if we shift the focus from attitudes and behaviors to working on basic paradigms. Human effectiveness is governed by principles, natural laws, is the fundamental basis of the Character Ethic. There is a principle of process and sequential stages of growth and development in all phases of life. It is impossible to shortcut the development process. Vital steps can not be skipped in order to reap the desired result quicker. "Inside-out" means change must start from inside.
The Seven Habits-An Overview
Habits possess a very powerful role in our lives. Our character is a composed of habits, which are the intersections of knowledge, skill, and desire.
Knowledge= what to do and why
Skill=how to do
Desire=want to do
The Seven Habits move us progressively on a maturity continuum:
Dependence à Independence à Interdependence
Dependence is the paradigm of You. -you take care of me, you come through for me, I blame you for the results.
Independence is the paradigm of I. -I can do it, I am responsible, I can choose
Interdependence is the paradigm of We. -We can do it, we can cooperate, we can combine our talents.
Dependent people can not choose to become independent. Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make. Self-mastery is the essence of character growth, the private victories. Habits 1, 2, and 3 are based on self-mastery. Once you have the character base, you can effectively work on the next three habits, which are more personality oriented. Habits 4, 5, and 6 incorporate public victories; teamwork, cooperation, and communication. Habit 7 embodies all the other habits. It insists on a regular, balanced renewal of the four basic dimension of life; it is the habit of continuous improvement.
Private Victory
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Public Victory
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize Renewal
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Effectiveness is a balance between production, desired results; and production capacity, the asset used to produce. There are three kinds of assets, physical, financial, and human. There is no greater investment, than self-growth.
Part Two Private Victory
Habit 1 Be Proactive Principles of Personal Vision
Self-awareness is the ability to think about ones very thought process. This ability is what separates humans from animals, and is the reason why man has dominion over all things. Conditioning holds tremendous power in our lives, but ultimately we are not determined by it. There are three theories of determinism; genetic, psychic, and environmental. Genetic determinism says that traits are inherited from grandparents, and is that they are apart of our DNA. Psychic determinism says how you were raised, your childhood experience, mapped your character structure. Environmental determinism states that environmental factors are responsible for your nature. Each of these theories is based on the stimulus/response theory. Between stimulus and response is the freedom to choose- our greatest power. The most basic habit is proactively. Highly proactive people do not blame circumstances. They assume responsibility for their behavior based on conscious choice. Reactive people are affected by their physical and social environments. Being proactive is a choice in determining how the environment affects our response. In order to be proactive, one must take the initiative to make things happen. Language suggests how we see ourselves as proactive. "There is nothing I can do," is an example of reactive language. "I control my own feeling," is an example of proactive language. To become more self-aware and measure the intensity of proactively, we can create a circle of concern. Within that circle we can draw a circle of influence. The circle of influence is all the things in which we can do something about, the proactive concern. Positive energy enlarges the circle of energy. Reactive people are mainly focused on the circle of concern. This results in blaming, accusing, and victimization. This negative energy forces the circle of influence to shrink. The problems we face can be:
Direct control: problems involving solved by working our own behavior on our habits
Indirect control: problems involving solved by changing our other people's behavior methods of influence.
No control: problems we can do peacefully accept and nothing about learn to live with them
Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind Principles of Personal Leadership
What words will others use to describe you after your death?
To begin with the end in mind means to visualize the end of your life as the reference by which everything else is examined. Each day is measured by the vision you have of your whole life. All things are created twice is the principle that Habit 2 is based upon. There is a mental, or first creation, and a physical, or first creation. Covey suggests, "Take the creation of a home, for example. You create it in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. Not all creations are by conscious design." We should be responsible for our first creations, or we reactively empower others to shape our lives. Habit 2 is also based on principles of personal leadership. Leadership is the first creation. Management is the second
creation.
Management: How can I best accomplish certain things?
Leadership: What are the things I want to accomplish?
Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things.
Proactively is based on self-awareness. Imagination and conscience allow us to expand our proactively. Imagination provides us the opportunity to visualize experiences, and conscience allows us to develop our talents based on principles. Develop a personal mission statement in order to assist with beginning with the end in mind. Through the mission statement you will focus on the values and direction of your personal goals. At the center is where we use imagination to visualize the desired end. The source of our security, guidance, and wisdom is reflected by what is at the center. Our lives should be centered on deep, fundamental truths.
Habit 3 Put First Things First Principles of Personal Management
Habit 3 is based on imagination, conscience, independent will, and self-awareness. Independent will make effective self-management possible, and it is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon. Personal integrity measures the degree in which we have developed independent will. Effective management is putting first things first. Management is discipline. There are four generations of time management:
First generation: characterized by notes and checklists.
Second generation: characterized by calendars and appointment books.
Third generation: importance of prioritization, of clarifying values, comparing the relative worth of activities.
Fourth generation: the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.
.
Prioritize activities based on worth. It is imperative that we clearly define what is important, so we do not respond only to the urgent. Effective people clearly distinguish between activities that are:
Urgent and important
Not urgent but important
They do not spend time focusing on activities that are:
Urgent and not important
Not urgent and not important. There are six criteria to be a successful organizer:
Coherence, balance, organize your life on a weekly basis, focus on people not just the schedule, flexibility, portability.
You must also; identify roles, select goals, schedule, and adapt.
Part Three Public Victory Paradigms of Interdependence
Victories in our personal development precede public victories. The amount of trust that is built up in a relationship is stored in the emotional bank account. There are six major deposits:
1. Understanding the individual.
2. Attend to the little things.
3. Keep commitments.
4. Clarify expectations.
5. Show personal integrity.
6. Apologize sincerely when you make a withdrawal.
Habit 4 Think Win/Win Principles of Interpersonal Leadership
The philosophy of Win/Win concentrates on human interaction. There are six paradigms of human interaction:
1. Win/Win is a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.
2. Win/Lose is a paradigm focused on competition, if I win, you lose.
3. Lose/Win people seek strength from acceptance or popularity.
4. Lose/Lose is the philosophy of adversarial conflict.
5. Win thinks in terms of securing an end, and leaving others to secure their own.
6. Win/Win or No Deal suggests that we can't come to a mutually beneficial solution, then there is no deal.
Win/Win is the habit of interpersonal leadership. There are five dimensions of the Win/Win model: Character, Relationships, Agreements, Supportive Systems and Processes.
-Character is the foundation of Win/Win.
-Relationships are the focus on Win/Win.
-Performance agreements or partnership agreements give definition and direction to
Win/Win. Desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability, and consequences; are made very obvious in a Win/Win agreement.
-Supportive systems survive when the system supports it. If you talk Win/Win, but reward Win/Lose the program is failing.
-The process is how to arrive at a Win/Win solution. There are four steps to the Win/Win process:
First, see the problem from the other point of view.
Second, identify the key issues.
Third, determine desired results.
Fourth, consider alternate options.
Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Principles of Empathic Communication
The most key skill in life is communication. Most people listen with the intent to reply, instead of listening to understand. When another person is speaking, we usually "listen" at one of four levels: ignoring, pretending, selective listening. The fifth level, empathetic listening is listening with the intent to understand. You have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of character that inspires openness and trust. It is so powerful, because the data is so defined.
10 percent of our communication is represented by the words we say
30 percent by our sounds
60 percent by body language.
Diagnose before you prescribe is a correct principle to manifest in several areas of life. It is the mark of all true professionals. We listen autobiographically, and therefore, when listening; we evaluate, we probe, we advise, and we interpret. The logical language is different from the language of sentiment and emotion. We can counsel and ask questions only when the language is logical. If the language is emotion we can only listen. Empathic listening involves four developmental stages; mimic content, rephrase the content, reflect feeling, rephrase the content and reflect the feeling. The essence of making effective presentations embodies three sequentially arranged words: ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos: your personal credibility.
Pathos: the empathic side.
Logos: the logic.
When you can present your own ideas clearly, specifically, visually and in the context of the paradigms of your audience, you significantly increase the credibility of your ideas.
Habit 6 Synergize Cooperation Principles of Creative
Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Exercising all the other habits prepares us for synergy.
Classroom synergy: Many truly great classes teeter on the very edge of chaos.
Business synergy: To achieve synergy in business requires that people become open and authentic. When we open ourselves up to the influence of others, we gain new insights and facilitate the generation of new options.
Communication synergy: The lowest level of communication coming out of low trust situations is characterized by Defensiveness, protectiveness, and legalistic language spells out escape clauses in case something goes wrong. The highest level is synergistic. It is important to remember that having alternate viewpoints is the true strength of a relationship. The essence of synergy is to value the differences. If two people have the same opinion, then one person is unnecessary.
Driving forces: positive, reasonable, logical, conscious, and economic.
Restraining forces: negative, emotional, illogical, unconscious, and social/psychological.
Part Four Renewal
Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
Take the time to sharpen the saw is Habit 7. Sharpening the saw is renewing the four dimensions of your character: Physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional.
Physical dimension: Taking care of our physical body. Endurance, Flexibility, and strength are necessary in a good exercise program.
Spiritual dimension: Your core, your center, your commitment to your value system.
Mental dimension: Reading and writing are important to mental well-being.
Social/emotional dimension: Developed through relationships with others.
Balance in renewal includes renewal in all four dimensions. Improvement in at least one habit allows us the ability to live the others. Daily private victories are essential to continuous development of the 7 Habits.
Inside-Out Again
Achieving unity-oneness-with ourselves, our loved ones, with our friends, and working associates, it the most delicious fruit of the Seven Habits. Covey quotes Emerson, "That which we persist in doing becomes easiernot that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased."
Part One: Paradigms And Principles
Inside-Out Steven Covey studied over 200 years of writing about success. While studying these writings he began to recognize a distinct pattern surfacing. He found these writings attributed success to either Character Ethic or Personality Ethic. The majority of the literature of in the first 150 years focused on the philosophy referred to as Character Ethic. The foundations for success are based upon integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule. This idea insists that true success can only be achieved if these principles are integrated into the basic character. The shift from Character Ethic to Personality Ethic occurred shortly after World War I. Success literature of the past 50 years credits success as more of a function of personality, public image, attitudes and behaviors, skills, and techniques. Covey suggests that personality traits are secondary to Character traits. If the character is flawed, mistrust and manipulation may be perceived, and there is no …show more content…
foundation for permanent success. Both types of traits are needed in long-term relationships, but character traits have more permanent worth in long-term relationships.
We must understand our own paradigm, before we can effectively interpret the Seven Habits. A paradigm is a model, perception, or theory. We use mental maps to interpret experiences, and seldom question their accuracy. If we do not examine the basic paradigms from which our attitudes and behaviors are created, then changing outward attitudes and behaviors is not effective. The paradigm shift is the experience of seeing something in a different way. Significant changes can be accomplished if we shift the focus from attitudes and behaviors to working on basic paradigms. Human effectiveness is governed by principles, natural laws, is the fundamental basis of the Character Ethic. There is a principle of process and sequential stages of growth and development in all phases of life. It is impossible to shortcut the development process. Vital steps can not be skipped in order to reap the desired result quicker. "Inside-out" means change must start from inside.
The Seven Habits-An Overview
Habits possess a very powerful role in our lives. Our character is a composed of habits, which are the intersections of knowledge, skill, and desire.
Knowledge= what to do and why
Skill=how to do
Desire=want to do
The Seven Habits move us progressively on a maturity continuum:
Dependence à Independence à Interdependence
Dependence is the paradigm of You. -you take care of me, you come through for me, I blame you for the results.
Independence is the paradigm of I. -I can do it, I am responsible, I can choose
Interdependence is the paradigm of We. -We can do it, we can cooperate, we can combine our talents.
Dependent people can not choose to become independent. Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make. Self-mastery is the essence of character growth, the private victories. Habits 1, 2, and 3 are based on self-mastery. Once you have the character base, you can effectively work on the next three habits, which are more personality oriented. Habits 4, 5, and 6 incorporate public victories; teamwork, cooperation, and communication. Habit 7 embodies all the other habits. It insists on a regular, balanced renewal of the four basic dimension of life; it is the habit of continuous improvement.
Private Victory
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Public Victory
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize Renewal
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Effectiveness is a balance between production, desired results; and production capacity, the asset used to produce. There are three kinds of assets, physical, financial, and human. There is no greater investment, than self-growth.
Part Two Private Victory
Habit 1 Be Proactive Principles of Personal Vision
Self-awareness is the ability to think about ones very thought process. This ability is what separates humans from animals, and is the reason why man has dominion over all things. Conditioning holds tremendous power in our lives, but ultimately we are not determined by it. There are three theories of determinism; genetic, psychic, and environmental. Genetic determinism says that traits are inherited from grandparents, and is that they are apart of our DNA. Psychic determinism says how you were raised, your childhood experience, mapped your character structure. Environmental determinism states that environmental factors are responsible for your nature. Each of these theories is based on the stimulus/response theory. Between stimulus and response is the freedom to choose- our greatest power. The most basic habit is proactively. Highly proactive people do not blame circumstances. They assume responsibility for their behavior based on conscious choice. Reactive people are affected by their physical and social environments. Being proactive is a choice in determining how the environment affects our response. In order to be proactive, one must take the initiative to make things happen. Language suggests how we see ourselves as proactive. "There is nothing I can do," is an example of reactive language. "I control my own feeling," is an example of proactive language. To become more self-aware and measure the intensity of proactively, we can create a circle of concern. Within that circle we can draw a circle of influence. The circle of influence is all the things in which we can do something about, the proactive concern. Positive energy enlarges the circle of energy. Reactive people are mainly focused on the circle of concern. This results in blaming, accusing, and victimization. This negative energy forces the circle of influence to shrink. The problems we face can be:
Direct control: problems involving solved by working our own behavior on our habits
Indirect control: problems involving solved by changing our other people's behavior methods of influence.
No control: problems we can do peacefully accept and nothing about learn to live with them
Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind Principles of Personal Leadership
What words will others use to describe you after your death?
To begin with the end in mind means to visualize the end of your life as the reference by which everything else is examined. Each day is measured by the vision you have of your whole life. All things are created twice is the principle that Habit 2 is based upon. There is a mental, or first creation, and a physical, or first creation. Covey suggests, "Take the creation of a home, for example. You create it in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. Not all creations are by conscious design." We should be responsible for our first creations, or we reactively empower others to shape our lives. Habit 2 is also based on principles of personal leadership. Leadership is the first creation. Management is the second
creation.
Management: How can I best accomplish certain things?
Leadership: What are the things I want to accomplish?
Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things.
Proactively is based on self-awareness. Imagination and conscience allow us to expand our proactively. Imagination provides us the opportunity to visualize experiences, and conscience allows us to develop our talents based on principles. Develop a personal mission statement in order to assist with beginning with the end in mind. Through the mission statement you will focus on the values and direction of your personal goals. At the center is where we use imagination to visualize the desired end. The source of our security, guidance, and wisdom is reflected by what is at the center. Our lives should be centered on deep, fundamental truths.
Habit 3 Put First Things First Principles of Personal Management
Habit 3 is based on imagination, conscience, independent will, and self-awareness. Independent will make effective self-management possible, and it is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon. Personal integrity measures the degree in which we have developed independent will. Effective management is putting first things first. Management is discipline. There are four generations of time management:
First generation: characterized by notes and checklists.
Second generation: characterized by calendars and appointment books.
Third generation: importance of prioritization, of clarifying values, comparing the relative worth of activities.
Fourth generation: the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.
.
Prioritize activities based on worth. It is imperative that we clearly define what is important, so we do not respond only to the urgent. Effective people clearly distinguish between activities that are:
Urgent and important
Not urgent but important
They do not spend time focusing on activities that are:
Urgent and not important
Not urgent and not important. There are six criteria to be a successful organizer:
Coherence, balance, organize your life on a weekly basis, focus on people not just the schedule, flexibility, portability.
You must also; identify roles, select goals, schedule, and adapt.
Part Three Public Victory Paradigms of Interdependence
Victories in our personal development precede public victories. The amount of trust that is built up in a relationship is stored in the emotional bank account. There are six major deposits:
1. Understanding the individual.
2. Attend to the little things.
3. Keep commitments.
4. Clarify expectations.
5. Show personal integrity.
6. Apologize sincerely when you make a withdrawal.
Habit 4 Think Win/Win Principles of Interpersonal Leadership
The philosophy of Win/Win concentrates on human interaction. There are six paradigms of human interaction:
1. Win/Win is a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.
2. Win/Lose is a paradigm focused on competition, if I win, you lose.
3. Lose/Win people seek strength from acceptance or popularity.
4. Lose/Lose is the philosophy of adversarial conflict.
5. Win thinks in terms of securing an end, and leaving others to secure their own.
6. Win/Win or No Deal suggests that we can't come to a mutually beneficial solution, then there is no deal.
Win/Win is the habit of interpersonal leadership. There are five dimensions of the Win/Win model: Character, Relationships, Agreements, Supportive Systems and Processes.
-Character is the foundation of Win/Win.
-Relationships are the focus on Win/Win.
-Performance agreements or partnership agreements give definition and direction to
Win/Win. Desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability, and consequences; are made very obvious in a Win/Win agreement.
-Supportive systems survive when the system supports it. If you talk Win/Win, but reward Win/Lose the program is failing.
-The process is how to arrive at a Win/Win solution. There are four steps to the Win/Win process:
First, see the problem from the other point of view.
Second, identify the key issues.
Third, determine desired results.
Fourth, consider alternate options.
Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Principles of Empathic Communication
The most key skill in life is communication. Most people listen with the intent to reply, instead of listening to understand. When another person is speaking, we usually "listen" at one of four levels: ignoring, pretending, selective listening. The fifth level, empathetic listening is listening with the intent to understand. You have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of character that inspires openness and trust. It is so powerful, because the data is so defined.
10 percent of our communication is represented by the words we say
30 percent by our sounds
60 percent by body language.
Diagnose before you prescribe is a correct principle to manifest in several areas of life. It is the mark of all true professionals. We listen autobiographically, and therefore, when listening; we evaluate, we probe, we advise, and we interpret. The logical language is different from the language of sentiment and emotion. We can counsel and ask questions only when the language is logical. If the language is emotion we can only listen. Empathic listening involves four developmental stages; mimic content, rephrase the content, reflect feeling, rephrase the content and reflect the feeling. The essence of making effective presentations embodies three sequentially arranged words: ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos: your personal credibility.
Pathos: the empathic side.
Logos: the logic.
When you can present your own ideas clearly, specifically, visually and in the context of the paradigms of your audience, you significantly increase the credibility of your ideas.
Habit 6 Synergize Cooperation Principles of Creative
Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Exercising all the other habits prepares us for synergy.
Classroom synergy: Many truly great classes teeter on the very edge of chaos.
Business synergy: To achieve synergy in business requires that people become open and authentic. When we open ourselves up to the influence of others, we gain new insights and facilitate the generation of new options.
Communication synergy: The lowest level of communication coming out of low trust situations is characterized by Defensiveness, protectiveness, and legalistic language spells out escape clauses in case something goes wrong. The highest level is synergistic. It is important to remember that having alternate viewpoints is the true strength of a relationship. The essence of synergy is to value the differences. If two people have the same opinion, then one person is unnecessary.
Driving forces: positive, reasonable, logical, conscious, and economic.
Restraining forces: negative, emotional, illogical, unconscious, and social/psychological.
Part Four Renewal
Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
Take the time to sharpen the saw is Habit 7. Sharpening the saw is renewing the four dimensions of your character: Physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional.
Physical dimension: Taking care of our physical body. Endurance, Flexibility, and strength are necessary in a good exercise program.
Spiritual dimension: Your core, your center, your commitment to your value system.
Mental dimension: Reading and writing are important to mental well-being.
Social/emotional dimension: Developed through relationships with others.
Balance in renewal includes renewal in all four dimensions. Improvement in at least one habit allows us the ability to live the others. Daily private victories are essential to continuous development of the 7 Habits.
Inside-Out Again
Achieving unity-oneness-with ourselves, our loved ones, with our friends, and working associates, it the most delicious fruit of the Seven Habits. Covey quotes Emerson, "That which we persist in doing becomes easiernot that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased."