Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The solution.


“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” - henry david thoreau.

We studied the pain, understood the underlying problem, now let's set the stage for the solution. A theme that will follow for the rest of the book.

Covey has worked with organizations around the world for over thirty years and has been a student to many great minds and has studied many organizations. He is of the opinion that great cultural shifts - ones that have built great organizations that sustain long term growth , prosperity and contribution to the world - started with the choice of one person. Sometimes that one person was the formal leader - the CEO or president. But most often it began with someone down the line, a line manager , a professional or someone's assistant.
Regardless of their position, these people changed themselves, inside - out. Their character, competence, initiative and positive energy - in short moral authority inspired and lifted others. They become noticed and more work is given to them. With the magnified responsibilities, they still produced positive results. The whole culture in the organization was drawn towards them.
These people did not get sucked into or pulled by the negative , insulting and demoralizing forces in their organizations. The organizations they worked for were in a mess , but they did not wait for their organization to change. They initiated change within.
They became an island of excellence in a sea of mediocrity. And that is contagious.

Where does a person get such internal strength to swim against the current and withstand negative cultural provocations and sustain such vision and determination?

They learn of their true nature and gifts. There is no looking back from then. They use these gifts to develop a vision of the great things they want to achieve. With wisdom, they take initiative and cultivate great understanding of the needs and opportunities around them. They meet those needs that match their unique talents, that tap their higher motivations that make a difference. In short, they find and use their voice. They serve and inspire others. They work for the perspective of the “whole paradigm”. Body, mind, heart and spirit.
With equal importance they choose to influence and inspire others to find their voices.

This book is organized into two main sections.
1. Find your voice.
2. Inspire others to find their voice.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost.

Diagram 1 will be a pivotal figure that we will use for the rest of our journey, so take a good look at it. It is attached at the end of the mail.

every one chooses one of the two roads in life. Doesn't matter who. Old and young, rich and poor, men and women alike. One is the broad, well travelled road to mediocrity, and the other is the road to greatness and meaning. -“The range of possibilities that exist within these two destinations is as wide as the diversity of gifts and personalities in the human family. But the contrast between the two destinations is as the night is to day.”

The path to mediocrity blocks human potential. It is a quick fix, short cut approach to life. The path to greatness is a process. A sequential growth from the inside out. Traveler's on the lower path, live out the cultural “software” of ego, indulgence, comparison, victimism, and competitiveness. Traveler's on the upper path to greatness rise above negative cultural influences and choose to become the creative force of their lives. In a word : they find their “Voice”. Those on this path find their voice and inspire others to do so.

“Deep within each one of us there is an inner longing to live a life of greatness and contribution - To really matter, to really make a difference. We may doubt ourselves and our ability to do so, but I want you to know of my deep conviction that you can live such a life. You have the potential within you. We all do. It is the birthright of the Human family” - Covey.

We all have the power to decide to live a great life, or even simpler, to have not only a good day but a great day. No matter how long we've walked in life's path way to mediocrity, we can always CHOOSE to switch tracks. Always. Its never too late. We can find our voice. Once you make that choice, the pathway is then to..

#1. Discover your voice. We will learn to discover it in the chapter's that follow by coming to understand our true nature, what covey calls, our three “Magnificent birth gifts”, and by developing and using with integrity the intelligence tied to each of the four parts of our nature (physical, mental, social and spiritual)...


#2. Express your voice.. By cultivating the highest manifestations of these human intelligences - Vision, Discipline, passion and conscience..


Once we find our voices, we can choose to expand our influences by inspiring others to find their voices. Inspire (from Latin : inspirare ) means to breath life into another. As we recognize , respect and create ways for others to give voice to all four parts of their nature - Physically, mentally, socially and spiritually - we unleash something in them. We unleash, latent human genius, creativity, passion , talent and motivation! It will be this mass of people, who when begin work in organizations, will raise the level of productivity, innovation and leadership in the market place and society.

Stephen covey tells us that to initiate powerful change and growth in our lives and organizations, through this book we must follow two simple ideas.
This is his Promise. #1. Teach others what you learn. #2. Systematically apply what you learn - To do it!

For this covey tells us about an incident in his life, where when he first began teaching there were hardly any students for his classes. The common paradigm was the fewer students in a class greater would be the efficiency in teaching. So he had about 15 students in his class room. Then, he attended a visiting professor's seminar on how to teach. It was there that he learned about the technique mentioned above. He began to apply it in his class room. He would teach, but insist that his student share and teach others. Before he knew it, his classes were packed with thousands of students! Each one learning and then teaching. And their grades actually went up. Why? Because when we teach we learn better. Most of us already know this.
Every student in his class assumed two roles. One , that of a student, and the other that of a teacher.

Another caution he points out is this:
Integrate what you learn into your life. Because “To know and not to do, is really not to know.” To learn and not to do is not to learn. In other words, to understand something and not apply it, is really not to understand it. I learned this in japan too. Infact, it is the most important thing for them.“ It is only in the doing, the applying, that Knowledge and understanding are internalized.”
For eg: you could study table tennis as a sport by reading books and hearing lectures, but until you have actually played it, you would never know the sport. “To Know and not to do is not to Know”.

“Self knowledge is best learned, not by contemplation, but by action. Strive to do your duty and you will soon discover what stuff you are made of.”
- Johann Goethe.

With this email we move into part 1 of the 8th Habit. “Find your voice”. Consider the words of abraham lincoln. “The dogma's of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” We must think anew. We must not only develop a new mind set but also a new skill set and new tool set that flows from it. This is not easy because it throws us out of our comfort zones. But a new reality has emerged, a new economy , a new challenge. This new challenge requires a new response, a new habit! We just don't want to survive in this new challenge, we want to thrive in it. Always remember, that the habits lie in the intersection of Knowledge , attitude and skill. As you develop these three dimensions of the 8th habit, you will increasingly become equal to the new challenge and pave the way to unlimited possibilities.... We all have the power to decide to live a great life, or even simpler, to have not only a good day but a great day. No matter how long we've walked in life's path way to mediocrity, we can always CHOOSE to switch tracks. Always. Its never too late. We can find our voice. Once you make that choice, the pathway is then to..

#1. Discover your voice. We will learn to discover it in the chapter's that follow by coming to understand our true nature, what covey calls, our three “Magnificent birth gifts”, and by developing and using with integrity the intelligence tied to each of the four parts of our nature (physical, mental, social and spiritual)...


#2. Express your voice.. By cultivating the highest manifestations of these human intelligences - Vision, Discipline, passion and conscience..


Once we find our voices, we can choose to expand our influences by inspiring others to find their voices. Inspire (from Latin : inspirare ) means to breath life into another. As we recognize , respect and create ways for others to give voice to all four parts of their nature - Physically, mentally, socially and spiritually - we unleash something in them. We unleash, latent human genius, creativity, passion , talent and motivation! It will be this mass of people, who when begin work in organizations, will raise the level of productivity, innovation and leadership in the market place and society.

Stephen covey tells us that to initiate powerful change and growth in our lives and organizations, through this book we must follow two simple ideas.
This is his Promise. #1. Teach others what you learn. #2. Systematically apply what you learn - To do it!

For this covey tells us about an incident in his life, where when he first began teaching there were hardly any students for his classes. The common paradigm was the fewer students in a class greater would be the efficiency in teaching. So he had about 15 students in his class room. Then, he attended a visiting professor's seminar on how to teach. It was there that he learned about the technique mentioned above. He began to apply it in his class room. He would teach, but insist that his student share and teach others. Before he knew it, his classes were packed with thousands of students! Each one learning and then teaching. And their grades actually went up. Why? Because when we teach we learn better. Most of us already know this.
Every student in his class assumed two roles. One , that of a student, and the other that of a teacher.

Another caution he points out is this:
Integrate what you learn into your life. Because “To know and not to do, is really not to know.” To learn and not to do is not to learn. In other words, to understand something and not apply it, is really not to understand it. I learned this in japan too. Infact, it is the most important thing for them.“ It is only in the doing, the applying, that Knowledge and understanding are internalized.”
For eg: you could study table tennis as a sport by reading books and hearing lectures, but until you have actually played it, you would never know the sport. “To Know and not to do is not to Know”.

“Self knowledge is best learned, not by contemplation, but by action. Strive to do your duty and you will soon discover what stuff you are made of.”
- Johann Goethe.

With this email we move into part 1 of the 8th Habit. “Find your voice”. Consider the words of abraham lincoln. “The dogma's of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” We must think anew. We must not only develop a new mind set but also a new skill set and new tool set that flows from it. This is not easy because it throws us out of our comfort zones. But a new reality has emerged, a new economy , a new challenge. This new challenge requires a new response, a new habit! We just don't want to survive in this new challenge, we want to thrive in it. Always remember, that the habits lie in the intersection of Knowledge , attitude and skill. As you develop these three dimensions of the 8th habit, you will increasingly become equal to the new challenge and pave the way to unlimited
possibilities....

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