questions, answers, thoughts, theories, observations, speculations, and assorted bits of information.
Yesterday I was asked by my friend and former colleague Natasha Baker to help with a video project for Sinclair Community College. I was interviewed and the video will be used with videos of other respondents in an upcoming presentation to academic leaders from around the country. I was asked to answer a question about …read more
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Sharpen the saw is the last of Covey’s 7 habits. (There actually is an 8th Habit, but that is another book, and perhaps another post.) Sharpen the Saw is the habit of personal renewal. The metaphor of “sharpening the saw” is simple - It is counterproductive to spend all of your …read more
Habit 6: Synergize Synergy is where all of the previous habits come together. It is the payoff. To quote Stephen Covey “Synergy is the highest activity in all of life.” “The essence of synergy is to value the differences.” By doing so, the human gift of creativity can be levered to produce new and exciting …read more
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Habit 5, Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, is a continuation of Habit 4, Think Win/Win. It is the idea that to truly think win/win, one must start with listening. Thus the idea that one should seek first to understand, then to be …read more
Habit 4: Think Win/Win Think Win/Win is the first of 3 outwardly focused habit Covey presents in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. These are known as habits of interdependence. These habits are designed to build lasting and meaningful relationships with other people — relationships that are mutually beneficial, based on principles, …read more
Habit 3: First Things First This habit is a critical one, and one that gets a lot of attention. Before we delve into First Things First, let’s take a step back to place this habit in the proper context. Covey’s first three habits are described as habits of independence. They are introspective in nature. When …read more
Habit 2: Begin With The End In Mind Covey’s second habit, “Begin With The End In Mind” deals with imagination, conscience, self-awareness and leadership. This habit is based on the premise that in life, all things are created twice. There is the mental creation, or the vision, and then the actual creation, the fruits of that …read more
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Social Media — Habit 1: Be Proactive What does it mean to Be Proactive? I view being proactive as taking responsibility for how you interact with the world. Stephen Covey discusses the idea that there is a space between stimulus and response, and that we as human beings, possess the capability …read more
I am always looking for ways to better understand social media. One source of explanatory information I find to be surprisingly useful is a book that was written long before the days of Facebook, Google, and Twitter — Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You may be wondering what Covey’s book could possibly have …read more
Like every suburban white kid who grew up in the early 1980’s, I love and respect the Ninja. I am not sure if this affection is traced back to GI Joe’s nemesis Storm Shadow, the short lived show “The Master,” readily available ninja throwing stars that you could pick up at the Upper Valley Mall, the …read more