Regardless of the number of people in your charge, if you want to make changes that lead to higher levels of well-being and performance in the group and the company, the first thing you should and can do is change yourself
The best thing we can do when we want to start renewal processes is invest time to improve ourselves, as people and as managers, and this personal change is achieved when we change our habits.
A habit is the conjunction of 3 components: knowledge, ability and attitude. To convert a behavior into habit, it is necessary that the 3 components come together
The effectiveness in all areas of life is achieved when we apply the balance P / CP, which is made up of Production (P) and the capacity to produce (CP). This principle is best illustrated by the fable of "the goose that lays the golden eggs", in which the farmer, in his greedy quest to get richer in the shortest possible time, decides to kill the hen to have all the eggs to spare. At the same time, without waiting day by day for the hen to lay them, but when she opens it, she realizes that there are no eggs, thus missing the opportunity to obtain the greatest benefit.
The law of effectiveness is thus illustrated: to be really effective you need the eggs (P) and the chicken that produces them (CP).
3 components of the habit
- Knowledge: indicates what to do and why Skill: teaches how to do things Attitude: is the motivation, the desire to do things
Stephen R. Covey presents us in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" a series of tips for personal improvement with which to achieve high effectiveness, I present below:
Be proactive
A proactive person does not blame others for what is happening to her, she is aware that it was her decisions that led her to where she is but she does not stay in the simple recognition of her actions, she has the power to say "I am here for the decisions I made, but tomorrow I want to be there ».
Proactivity is based on being guided by our values, on not giving others control over our decisions and on continually working on our development seeking to influence those who are in our immediate environment.
Start with the end in mind
If we start each day of our lives knowing what we want to do and where we are going, we will surely reach personal leadership.
To develop this habit there is a fundamental tool The personal mission, which is a declaration based on our principles and values, so that it allows us to make decisions derived from them.
Before determining our personal Mission, we must find our center, which is given by the way we look at the world. Our center is our source of greater security and is a guide for our decisions. To develop the second habit, we must find the most suitable center, the one based on principles that do not change over time or under other circumstances.
Wrong centers are, for example, family, money, possessions, power and work, as they can change over time. When one is based on principles, he analyzes and weighs all the possibilities without the wrong centers affecting his decisions.
Put first things first
Once the first 2 habits have been developed, you are in a position to implement the third: prioritize.
Almost all people are looking to organize time, but almost nobody cares about organizing their priorities, which is always more effective. The point is that to be truly effective, you must put the truly important above the urgent, since the urgent is only important to others.
In managing to develop this habit, the principle of implementing our action plans to achieve meaningful purposes applies.
Think win / win
The culture in which we live is framed in the concept of I win-you lose. From a young age we see him at school, then at university, later at work, in politics and in business. On our heads we have installed the competition chip instead of the collaboration chip.
To be truly effective we must think WIN / WIN in all of our interpersonal relationships, "there is enough for everyone."
The victory of one is not always the defeat of the other, developing a fourth habit means that both parties to any agreement will always benefit
Before seeking to be understood, understand
It is difficult to interact with others, dialogue or coexist without having problems, if we search we will find that at the root of these problems is the difficulty of understanding each other.
The fifth habit is to learn to listen, to understand others from their own perspective, if we manage to develop this habit we will be able not only to avoid interpersonal problems, but to more quickly advance the processes with WIN / WIN solutions.
Synergize
The whole is more than the sum of its parts, that means synergy. Creating this habit requires teamwork, which, when based on trust and principles, generates creativity, innovation and effectiveness.
Sharpen the saw
The development of this habit occurs when we are able to make maintenance and beneficial innovations to other habits.
If you remember the principle of the P / CP, sharpening the saw means that if we only dedicate ourselves to sawing, without maintaining the saw, without sharpening it, the moment will surely come when we can no longer saw more.
The 7 principles: 1. Awareness, personal vision and responsibility. 2. Leadership, Mission and Vision. 3. Time management and prioritization. 4. Mutual benefit. 5. Effective communication. 6. Creative cooperation. 7. Continuous improvement.
Next, Pablo León, entrepreneurial coach, presents an overview of each of the seven habits to achieve effectiveness.
Developing these habits requires investment, time and desire, most likely we will face ourselves, but starting from the beginning, being proactive, we will have taken a first big step to achieve effectiveness.
