The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Families Case Study

Covey begins The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by saying “Good families- even great families- are off track 90% of the time!” (9) It is important to recognize that families will not be “on track” all of the time. Keeping families “on track” has become tough in today’s society because everyone is about “me” and not “we.” The key is to have a sense of destination, flight plan, and a compass.
Habit #1 is Be Proactive. This habit indicates the ability to act based on principles and values rather than on emotion or circumstance. The ability to do this is based on four unique human gifts: (1) Self-Awareness - the ability to stand back and observe our lives, thoughts, actions, etc. (2) Conscience - an inner voice that helps us to evaluate
These habits build on one another to help families work together to create new ideas and solutions that are better than an individual member could formulate. Habit #4 is Win-Win. What is important to one family member must be important to others as well. Listening to understand is crucial. Families need to go from an individual state of “me” to a togetherness of “we.” Habit #5 is Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Before we try to influence another person, we must first seek to understand their point of view. There are two primary causes of misunderstanding in a relationship: (1)We interpret the same event differently and (2) We define the same words differently. Not seeking to understand leads to judgment, rejection and manipulation, while seeking to understand leads to understanding, acceptance and participation. Relationships in a family rely on understanding. Habit #6 is Synergize. Synergy is the effect of two people working together to create a greater effect than they could working separately. Before we can create synergy, we must demonstrate the fourth and fifth habit. By understanding and valuing the differences from another person’s perspective, this allows us to uncover new possibilities through openness and creativity. The final habit # 7 is Sharpen the Saw, which means to renew ourselves. To be successful, we must dedicate our time to restore ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. We need to eat well,
If I were to be asked what I value the most, I would say God and family, but my life sometimes reveals differently. It is so easy to say what I value most, but then get caught up in the flow of life. I was an only child for eight years, so I had a lot of one-on-one bonding time with my parents, separately and together. When my sister came along, I did not receive as much one-on-one time, but my parents still made it a priority to do so. My mom and I would go shopping together and my dad and I would participate in sporting events. My family and I always ate dinner together every night possible, before I went to college and we continue to do so when I am home on weekends. I hope to be able to carry on the tradition of family dinners together when I have a family of my own one