The Seven Habits of Highly Effective / Defective People
By Angelica Bautista Viloria
August 08, 2000

Stephen Covey, as everyone knows, has outlined 7 principles which could change anyone's life. Most of us have heard of the 7 habits of highly effective people but what about those for defective persons? We are the masters of our own destiny -- whether we turn out to be effective or defective is solely our choice. So just to remind us of what it takes to be effective and to help us recognize negative habits which we or our co-workers may have, read on. The first part of every portion, obviously refers to effective people while the portion after the slash tells us what to keep away from. Know thyself. Know thy enemy.

BE PROACTIVE/BE REACTIVE. BLAME EVERYONE AND ANYTHING BUT YOURSELF: Being proactive means more than taking initiative. Proactivity means taking responsibility for everything that happens in our lives. What happens to us is a result of our decisions as individuals and not of our conditions. Defective people, on the other hand, constantly blame others and situations for the way they feel or act. They are not in control. There seems to be an invisible hand which brings them where they ought to be. He or she is just an innocent bystander in life. As the musical Larawan puts it, "Hindi simple ang buhay...Hindi tayo'ng may hawak sa kinabukasan. Nagmimiron ka lamang sa `yong kapalaran." ("Life is not simple... We don't control the future. You are just an observer of your own fate.")Rolando Tinio's words sound poetic, true. I just don't agree.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND/BEGIN WITH NO END IN MIND: Effective people have a clear understanding of where they want to go. They know what is important and can define what success means to them. Defective people, however, wander aimlessly, not knowing which way to turn. They have no clear direction in life. As it has been said before, if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST/PUT FIRST THINGS LAST: Effective people can identify their priorities and stick to these when it comes to implementing. Defective people, on the other hand, might not even know what is important to them and thus confuse the urgent for the important.

THINK WIN-WIN/THINK WIN-LOSE: The desire for mutual benefit in human interaction is the mark of an effective person. It is possible for all parties to feel good about a decision unlike a group of defective people where individuals seek to put one over the other. They cannot conceive that all can benefit from a certain situation or decision.

SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD/ SEEK TO BE UNDERSTOOD. PERIOD: Effective people focus first on listening to understand and not on listening to reply. Effective people listen with empathy unlike defective people who have no genuine desire or interest in anyone else but himself/herself.

SYNERGIZE/SYNERGIZE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?: Effective people know that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. Synergy is "teamwork, teambuilding, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings." As for defective people, hand them a dictionary.

SHARPEN THE SAW/SHARPEN THE SAW: Sharpening the saw, for effective people, means taking care of the greatest asset they have, their very own self. Effective people constantly renew their physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional dimensions. As for defective people, they likewise sharpen the saw...to kill other people.

So, are you going to be an effective or a defective person? The choice is yours.

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