7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a best-selling self-improvement book with more than 25 million copies sold in 40 different languages worldwide, written by Stephen R. Covey. The book provides an integrated, principle-centered approach and was highly recommended by Synergy Sports Medicine’s co-owner, Jesse Awenus. The book is based on Covey’s belief that our perceptions of the world around us shape our world. Consequently, if we want to change the situations that surround us, first we must change ourselves by changing our perceptions. Here are some key takeaways from this book that should spark your interest.
1) Begin with the End in Mind
This habit is based on your imagination and your ability to start with a clear destination. Covey highlights that it’s very easy for individuals to get caught up in being busy. After all, we are too busy chasing the best promotion, the highest grades, the millions in the bank account. But often, people spend their lives achieving empty victories, without ever focusing on whether these aspects really even matter to them. Beginning with the end in mind is highly important for physiotherapy business owners. After all, your goal should be to create an optimized and effective business. However, your business will flounder if you do not carve out time initially to consider your strategic vision or business plan. Covey stresses the importance of sitting down and focusing on the core values for yourself and your business, ask yourself “What am I trying to accomplish?” Identifying important personal values and always striving to achieve them will serve as the catalyst to ensure your business’ success.
2) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
As physiotherapists, the first step of our assessment is a thorough subjective history. Similarly, the principle of this habit is that before we can offer any solutions or interact effectively with individuals, we must deeply understand them through the use of empathetic listening. You probably spent many years learning the alphabet, how to read, write and speak. But do you recall receiving any instructions on how to listen? For most individuals, probably not. Covey stresses that people listen with the intent to reply and not to understand. Empathetic listening is your ability to get inside another person’s frame of reference. Your goal with empathetic listening should be to fully, deeply understand that person, which involves far more than simply registering or reflecting. The next time you listen to an individual speak, ask yourself “Am I able to see the world how this person sees it?” But what’s the importance of empathetic listening, how does it differ from active or reflective listening and why should you care? Empathetic listening is invaluable because it gives you accurate information to utilize when dealing with individuals, whether they are clients or even family and friends. Instead of projecting your own thoughts and assuming another individual’s motivations or thoughts, you are focusing on the reality that is inside another person’s head and their heart. You are listening to them on a deeper level, with the sole purpose of understanding. This is extremely useful in all walks of life.
This was a brief overview of the many habits found in the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Thanks to Jesse for recommending this book and we, at PT Business Corner, hope you are able to utilize all the valuable information the book has to offer.
