Nine Essential Leadership Skills

Preach it Newsletter

What basic leadership skills make pastors effective in their ministries? Here are 9 essentials.

Leaders do lead. Many people in positions of religious leadership simply don’t lead. The fact is that true leaders do lead. They chart a course, garner the necessary support and resources, and work to succeed.
Leaders lead from a spiritual center. Men and women engaged in ministry are careful to ask God to help them lead from a spiritual center. Today’s spiritual leaders must also take the time they need to quietly seek guidance.
Leaders compromise creatively. As soon as a vision is articulated and plans are established, obstacles and roadblocks will occur. They’ll seek ways to compromise creatively so that the end goal will still be accomplished.
Leaders deal constructively with conflict. Whenever someone provides leadership, conflicts will arise. Effective leaders learn how to deal constructively with conflicts and maneuver around them.
Leaders are willing to listen. Strong leaders know that listening to others helps them in two ways. First, by hearing what others say, their own vision for the future can be clarified, modified, and intensified. Second, when leaders listen respectfully, even to criticisms, they not only gain additional insight, but often receive the support of the speaker. When leaders listen, people rally around.
Leaders are persistent. When leaders fall, they get back up. Most effective leaders faced disappointments on the road to success. Yet they rose up and moved ahead.
Leaders respond positively to negative situations. The lesson for leadership: There will be delays and detours, but true leaders will not be denied. They respond positively, creatively, and energetically to negative situations.
Leaders practice patience. Patience is the willingness to wait long enough for a process to produce the desired results. Good leaders know that after they’ve done everything possible to set events in motion, they can’t force them along.
Leaders maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Effective leaders are aware of their strengths and alert to their weaknesses. They constantly strive to become even more effective.

Finding Your Leadership Style

By Author Unknown

There are many different ways to lead God’s people.

Visionary leader – These leaders have a crystal-clear picture of what they want to happen. They cast visions powerfully and possess indefatigable enthusiasm to pursue the mission.

Directional leader – The directional leader can carefully assess the values, mission, strengths, weaknesses, resources, personnel, and openness to change of an organization – then point that organization in the right direction.

Strategic leader – A strategic leader forms a game plan everyone can understand and is able to get various departments synchronized and focused toward the goal.

Managing leader – These leaders possess the unique ability to establish mile markers on the road to the destination, then organize and monitor people, processes, systems, and resources for mission achievement.

Motivational leader – These leaders possess insight into who needs a fresh challenge, additional training, public recognition, and an encouraging word or a day off.

Shepherding leader – This man or woman loves team members so deeply, nurtures them so gently, supports them so consistently, listens to them so patiently, and prays for them so diligently that the mission of the team gets achieved.

Team-building leader – This person has supernatural insight into people to find or develop leaders with the right abilities, character, and chemistry with other team members.

Re-engineering leader – This kind of leader loves to tune up, heal, and revitalize hurting organizations.

Bridge-building leader – This leader brings a wide variety of constituencies together under a single umbrella of leadership so that a complex organization can achieve its mission.

A Word To The Next Generation Of Leaders

By James Smith

“Being a young, next-gen leader is a difficult calling.”

You think differently than your more conventional colleagues. YOU CHALLENGE, REINVENT, AND MIX IT UP. You buck traditional models of leadership and you’re constantly on the hunt for new ones. Many of your peers and elders in the ministry may not understand your calling.

Keep in mind a few things…

It’s important to see where other men have been. It is easy to stand on the sidelines and critique other people’s ministries. Keep in mind, you have not walked in their shoes or been where they have been.

The mistake that too many young ministers makes is to assume to have superior knowledge over an elder in the ministry who has struggled to make something happen. If you honor those men and women who have tilled the ground before you, God will give you the fruit of their labors.

Your greatest asset as a leader will be your mentors. Every Man or Woman of God is a product of the ministers who have invested themselves into their ministries. There is nothing new under the sun and you are not unique from those who have mentored your life. For good or bad, the Pastors and Mentors of your life have touched your ministry. You have been affected by each of them. You have learned things to do and things not to do in your ministry by observing them. Your love and honor to them will determine the level of respect and honor that will be given to your own ministry.

Stay close to someone more experienced. We learn from those who are able to teach us. If you surround your ministry with people who are less experienced or knowledgeable than yourself, you will become “dumbed-down”. Find some ministers who are heavily involved in the areas of ministry that you feel called to work and begin to glean from them. These men and women are usually very open to teaching a younger minister the ropes.

Be humble. There is nothing worse than watching someone make a fool of themselves by having too much pride. Pride when it is not yet deserving is very hard for just about anyone to watch. If you stay humble, pride will never take you down. Humility is a character trait of nearly every great leader. Jesus Himself, is our prime example for humility. How can we who are His servants display anything other than the sincerest humility in our ministries.

Remember you have a lot of mistakes to make. And you will make them regardless of how hard you try not to. Mistakes are to be expected in your life and ministry. You are not perfect. You are not Jesus. You are going to make mistakes possibly daily. It’s what you learn from them that counts. If you make a mistake, correct the problem and move on. Don’ let a mistake bring you down or keep you from accomplishing what you know God has called you to do. The Bible is full of people who have made terrible mistakes. Only those who did not let God help them were destroyed by their mistakes. Keep trying!

Don’t let short range failures affect your long term goals. Keep your eyes on the finish line. If you fall, get back up. If you lose pace, get your footing and get started again. This race is not to the swift, it is to those who finish. God specializes in helping those who are determined to do something great for the Kingdom of God.

Remember, success is not a destination, it is a journey. There is no point in your life when you will be able to say, “I am a success.” Some do and soon find that their success was short lived at best. Success is not about temporary things. It is not about buildings, numbers, great messages or large followings. These all fail us. Jesus was able to gather followings of literally thousands, who soon became offended by Him and left.

The culmination of your life’s work for God and the people whose lives have been changed for the better will determine your level of success.

Stay Excited!!! Keep your head up. Stay above the circumstances of your life and ministry. Put a smile on your face and stay as positive as you can about whatever situation you are in. Remember, you work for God. This is His work, not yours. We are simply labors in His vineyard. We are blessed not because of the results of our labors, but rather by the knowledge of knowing that we are laboring for and alongside the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. What a High Honor it is to be a part of His Ministry.

The Role of a Mentor

By Dr. Fred Childs

As common as the word mentor is in society, and in the business culture in general, when it comes to many religious organizations and the individuals that comprise them, mentoris often still a mysterious term. Confusion and misperceptions abound, and yet mentoring has been around since the dawn of man.

Just the mention of the word mentor causes an insecure leader or pastor to manifest jealousy, others to cry out that “I already have mentors in my life”, and a few to simply confess they still do not know why they would even need a mentor.

Nonetheless the reality remains the same . . . the leadership actions of most leaders validate their need of a mentor. Every new endeavor of life often brings to the leader a need for mentoring. In essence, business training seminars and workshops is a multi-billion dollar industry because it is mentoring in real life to those desiring to improve and advance in their skills and knowledge.

Please read on.

A mentor is not some mysterious know-it-all guru that floats in and out of your life dressed in a white robe and riding on a cloud. Neither is a mentor a genie in a bottle that appears with the answer when you have a need and rub him correctly. Nor is a mentor a replacement for the pastor and influential individuals in your life.

A mentor is someone with the willingness, temperament, skill sets, gifts, talents, compassion, understanding, whit, intelligence, experience, and general life balance that shoulders up beside you to enable you to succeed at a higher level in life. A mentor is someone who cares about you enough to invest him or herself into you.

Whether paid or unpaid a mentor places more value in your life, aspirations, and goals than you ever return to them. Their primary reward is in helping, steering, advising, and equipping you toward the success they believe you have the potential for.

Every great leader attributes their success largely and in part to the influencers that played a key role in their pathway to success. Those influencers are mentors.

Biblically a mentor is a spiritual father, a guardian, and instructor, a tutor, and a father. These terms are not necessarily synonymous with the term pastor. Although many pastors are good instructors and mentors, many are not. A true mentor understands their areas of limitation, and are wise enough to understand that when a mentee is desiring or needing to progress in an area outside of their experience base, then it is time to refer them to another mentor who can help them in that area.

How can anyone mentor you in business, or music, or leadership, or a host of other topics if they are not proficient and experienced in the same?

Consider a very current sports figure, Tim Tebow. Tim is a devout Christian who happens to also be the quarterback of a professional football team, the Denver Broncos. Tim Tebow is both loved and hated. The media has a field day making its fortunes off of every mistake and success he makes on the field. Thousands of people critique him, but few really help him. Enter John Elway. Mr. Elway is an executive in the Bronco’s organization who also happens to be one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history. He has multiple Super Bowl rings and strings of records and accomplishments.

So what is happening now after the close of the 2011-2012-football season and the Denver Bronco’s humiliating defeat by the New England Patriots?

Enter John Elway. He is now to become the personal quarterback mentor to Tim Tebow. Not only does Elway have the experience and the vested interest, but he also has a great talent to work with. Tebow is by all reports perhaps the best overall athlete in the NFL. Elway believes that by his fourth year Tebow will be at the top of the game.

That is the value of a mentor.

Do you want to be a leader? Do you feel a call to be a Christian business leader or church leader . . . or both? How will you develop your leadership skills both spiritually and physically? How will you educate yourself in the fine art of leadership? Will you peruse the bookstores and scan the Internet or go to expensive classes?

Mentoring also comes in many forms. I collaborated with James Smith to develop the book and video book, Are You Ready for Your Healing? It mentors individuals and congregations to understand many aspects of healing to everyday life. It is powerful. It works, It Is available at www.pastoralhelps.com.

Membership also connects you to Dr. Fred Childs and his team of experts for advice, direction, and critique.

Leadership is a focus for each detail

Leadership is a focus for each detail.

Leading men

To surf you must turn your back to the wave. To lead you must turn your back to the crowd.
– Rick Warren

True Test of Leadership

“The test of your leadership is not what happens when you’re there, but what happens when you’re NOT there.”
– Ken Blanchard

8th Habit – From Effectiveness to Greatness – Covey

The 8th Habit
From Effectiveness to Greatness
by Stephen R. Covey

The 8th Habit
Publisher: Copyright � 2004 by Stephen R. Covey
Published by the Free Press / Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y.

Category: Leadership & Management

In this summary you will learn

* How to transform your life and your company by using the 8th Habit
* How it incorporates and expands upon the 7 Habits
* How the Knowledge Worker Era is replacing the Industrial Age
* How to develop your unique human voice and help others find theirs
* How to make empowerment work

Why you should read The 8th Habit
A cynic toward sequels would note that Steven Covey took only a little more than 300 pages to explain his first seven habits, but 409 pages and an accompanying CD to expound on the eighth. Cynicism aside, however, this book – this 8th Habit – is worth every page. Give Covey credit. He could rest on his laurels and just write bland, non-threatening “how to lead” books and they would all be bestsellers. Covey eschews mediocrity, however, and tells it straight. Most employees experience considerable emotional pain working in their organizations, he says, because they are treated as objects, not full human beings. Covey adds his prestige to the notion that the knowledge worker is a new model for change in the unspoken, unwritten contract between employer and worker. He bases this fresh paradigm on respect for the complete person – mind, body, heart and soul – not just the part that works from nine to five. Covey’s voice is powerful and unique. He is committed to helping others find their unique voices as well. We recommend this highly for anyone in the workplace.

Table of Contents
1�� �The Pain�� �1
2�� �The Problem�� �12
3�� �The Solution�� �25
PART 1�� �FIND YOUR VOICE�� �37
4�� �Discover Your Voice- Unopened Birth-Gifts�� �39
5�� �Express Your Voice- Vision, Discipline, Passion and Conscience�� �64
PART 2�� �INSPIRE OTHERS TO FIND THEIR VOICE�� �95
6�� �Inspiring Others to Find Their Voice- The Leadership Challenge�� �97
FOCUS- MODELING AND PATHFINDING�� �125
7�� �The Voice of Influence- Be a Trim-Tab�� �126
8�� �The Voice of Trustworthiness- Modeling Character and Competence�� �146
9�� �The Voice of Speed and Trust�� �161
10�� �Blending Voices- Searching for the Third Alternative�� �186
11�� �One Voice- Pathfinding Shared Vision, Values and Strategy�� �215
EXECUTION- ALIGNING AND EMPOWERING�� �231
12�� �The Voice and Discipline of Execution- Aligning Goals and Systems for Results
13�� �The Empowering Voice- Releasing Passion and Talent
THE AGE OF WISDOM�� �269
14�� �The 8th Habit and the Sweet Spot�� �270
15�� �Using Our Voices Wisely to Serve Others�� �292
20 Most Commonly Asked Questions�� �318
APPENDICES�� �329
A 1�� �Developing the 4 Intelligences/Capacities: A Practical Guide to Action�� �331
A 2�� �Literature Review of Leadership Theories�� �352
A 3�� �Representative Statements on Leadership and Management�� �360
A 4�� �The High Cost of Low Trust�� �365
A 5�� �Implementing the 4 Disciplines of Execution�� �369
A 6�� �xQ Results�� �370
A 7�� �Max & Max Revisited�� �374
A 8�� �The FranklinCovey Approach�� �379
Notes�� �383
Index�� �389
About FranklinCovey�� �407
About the Author�� �409

Description and Reviews
From The Publisher:

In the more than fifteen years since its publication, the classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become an international phenomenon with over fifteen million copies sold. Tens of millions of people in business, government, schools, and families, and, most important, as individuals have dramatically improved their lives and organizations by applying the principles of Stephen R. Covey’s classic book.

The world, though, is a vastly changed place. The challenges and complexity we all face in our relationships, families, professional lives, and communities are of an entirely new order of magnitude.

Being effective as individuals and organizations is no longer merely an option — survival in today’s world requires it. But in order to thrive, innovate, excel, and lead in what Covey calls the new Knowledge Worker Age, we must build on and move beyond effectiveness. The call of this new era in human history is for greatness; it’s for fulfillment, passionate execution, and significant contribution.

Accessing the higher levels of human genius and motivation in today’s new reality requires a sea change in thinking: a new mind-set, a new skill-set, a new tool-set — in short, a whole new habit. The crucial challenge of our world today is this: to find our voice and inspire others to find theirs. It is what Covey calls the 8th Habit.

So many people feel frustrated, discouraged, unappreciated, and undervalued — with little or no sense of voice or unique contribution. The 8th Habit is the answer to the soul’s yearning for greatness, the organization’s imperative for significance and superior results, and humanity’s search for its “voice.” Profound, compelling, and stunningly timely, this groundbreaking new book of next-level thinking gives a clear way to finally tap the limitless value-creation promise of the Knowledge Worker Age. The 8th Habit shows how to solve such common dilemmas as:

* People want peace of mind and good relationships, but also want to keep their lifestyle and habits.
* Relationships are built on trust, but most people think more in terms of “me” — my wants, my needs, my rights.
* Management wants more for less; employees want more of “what’s in it for me” for less time and effort.
* Businesses are run by the economic rules of the marketplace; organizations are run by the cultural rules of the workplace.
* Society operates by its dominant social values, but must live with the consequences of the inviolable operation of natural laws and principles.

Covey’s new book will transform the way we think about ourselves and our purpose in life, about our organizations, and about humankind. Just as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People helped us focus on effectiveness, The 8th Habit shows us the way to greatness.

.
Reviews

The original seven habits of highly successful people are still relevant, but Covey, author of the mega-bestseller of that title, says that the new Information/Knowledge Worker Age, exemplified by the Internet, calls for an eighth habit to achieve personal and organizational excellence: “Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.” Covey sees leadership “as a choice to deal with people in a way that will communicate to them their worth and potential so clearly they will come to see it in themselves.” His holistic approach starts with developing one’s own voice, one’s “unique personal significance.” The bulk of the book details how, after finding your own voice, you can inspire others and create a workplace where people feel engaged. This includes establishing trust, searching for third alternatives (not a compromise between your way and my way, but a third, better way) and developing a shared vision. This book isn’t easy going; less business jargon and more practical examples would have made this livelier and more helpful. But if organizations operated with Covey’s ideas- and ideals- most people would undoubtedly find work much more satisfying. DVD not seen by PW.
- Publisher’s Weekly Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Steve Covey does it again with cutting-edge thinking. The 8th Habit is about finding out why you’re here and helping others to do the same. Is there a nobler cause? Don’t miss this book!”
- Ken Blanchard coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Customer Mania!

Covey’s work has influenced millions upon millions of people worldwide. In this book, he takes a huge conceptual leap and introduces us to ideas and practices that will have a profound impact on all our lives. The 8th Habit is a marvelous read, a triumph of the spirit, and, in my view, Covey’s most important work.
- Warren Bennis Distinguished Professor of Management, USC; author of On Becoming a Leader and coauthor of Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders

Getting results in large companies is a very rare skill and this book captures how to do it. The guidance provided here will prove invaluable for leaders who are trying to drive tighter execution in their organizations.
- Kevin Rollins President and CEO, Dell, Inc.

For years I have been using the 7 Habits as guiding principles in leading my business. I had to read The 8th Habit. Having done so, I am completely wowed, captured, and empowered. The 8th Habit is a true masterpiece, a must-read. These principles of personal and organizational leadership, when lived, unleash human genius and inspire deep commitment and magnificent levels of service and satisfaction. This book will be my gift to all my associates as required reading for all of my future endeavors.
- Horst Schulze Former President and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

Stephen Covey has long been a sure-footed guide to those desiring to better themselves. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness shows how to climb to the summit of fulfillment and achievement.
- Steve Forbes President and CEO of Forbes and Editor In Chief of Forbes Magazine

I hope Stephen writes a dozen more books. But should he not do so, The 8th Habit will clearly stand as the crowning achievement of a lifetime of service. May millions upon millions the world over read, share, and be moved to firmly grasp the reins of their lives as a result!
- Tom Peters author of Re-Imagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age

Send us your favorite quotes or passages from this book.

leadership
About the Author

Stephen R. Covey is a renowned authority on leadership, a family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and vice chairman of FranklinCovey Co. The author of several acclaimed books, he has also received numerous honors and awards, including being named one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential Americans. Covey lives with his wife, Sandra, and their family in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

Stephen Covey – Leadership

Stephen Covey
Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey on the cover of his DVD The 8th Habit
Born �� �October 24, 1932 (1932-10-24) (age 77)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation �� �Author, professional speaker, consultant, management-expert
Spouse(s) �� �Sandra Covey

Stephen R. Covey (born October 24, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah) wrote the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Other books he has written include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. In 2004, Covey released, The 8th Habit. In 2008, Covey released The Leader In Me- How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

Covey lives with his wife Sandra and their family in Provo, Utah, home to Brigham Young University, where Dr. Covey taught prior to the publication of his best-selling book. A father of nine and a grandfather of forty-nine with his wife, he received the Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative in 2003.

Covey established the “Covey Leadership Center” which, in 1997, merged with Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey, a global professional-services firm and specialty-retailer selling both training and productivity-tools to individuals and to organizations. Their mission statement reads: “We enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere”.

In 2008, Covey launched The Stephen Covey’s Online Community. The site is a collection of online courses, goal management and social networking. He uses it as a place to teach his most recent thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership.

In 2009, Covey launched his career development webinar series to help people struggling in the economic downturn. He plans to offer timely and current topics on a regular basis.

Covey holds a BSc degree in Business Administration from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Doctor of Religious Education (DRE) in LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Church History and Doctrine from Brigham Young University. He also holds membership of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity.
Contents

* 1 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
o 1.1 The 7 Habits
o 1.2 Follow-ups
* 2 The 8th Habit
* 3 The Leader In Me
* 4 The Stephen Covey Online Community
* 5 Religious views
* 6 Missionary service
* 7 Honors and awards
* 8 Bibliography
* 9 References
* 10 External links

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey’s best-known book, has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. (The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies.) Covey argues against what he calls “The Personality Ethic”, something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels “The Character Ethic”: aligning one’s values with so-called “universal and timeless” principles. Covey adamantly refuses to confound principles and values; he sees principles as external natural laws, while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people’s behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence via independence to interdependence.
The 7 Habits

* Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
* Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
* Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution
* Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
* Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
* Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
* Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

Follow-ups

Follow-up titles to The Seven Habits aim both to add to the original and to form a cohesive philosophy on personal, principle-based leadership. They come in the format of audio books as well (such as the title Beyond The 7 Habits). Covey has also written a number of learning-books for children. His son, Sean Covey, has written a version for teens: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This version simplifies Covey’s 7 Habits for younger readers to better understand them.
The 8th Habit

Covey’s recent book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (published in 2004) functions as the sequel to The Seven Habits. Covey claims that effectiveness does not suffice in what he calls “The Knowledge Worker Age”. He proclaims that “[t]he challenges and complexity we face today are of a different order of magnitude.” The 8th habit essentially urges: “Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs…”
The Leader In Me
Cover of Covey’s New Book The Leader in Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

In November 2008, Covey released a new book The Leader in Me- How Schools and Parents Around the World are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. This book tells the story of how extraordinary schools, parents and business leaders are preparing the next generation to meet the great challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. The Leader in Me shows how one elementary school in Raleigh, North Carolina decided to try incorporating The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other basic leadership skills into their school’s curriculum in unique and creative ways. Inspired by the amazing success of Principal Muriel Summers and the teachers and staff of A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, other schools and parents around the world have adopted the approach and have seen remarkable results.[1]
The Stephen Covey Online Community

In March 2008 Covey launched the Stephen Covey’s Online Community. The site is a mash up of online courses, goal management and social networking. Covey uses it as a place to teach his most recent thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership, his books as well as goal setting and reaching. The content is shared via videos, podcasts, printable text and online activities. Users are also able to set personal goals, track their progress and share their progress with others within the community. The community is currently growing at a rate of over 1000 users a week.
Religious views

As a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stephen Covey has authored several devotional works for Latter-day Saint or Mormon readers, including:

* Spiritual Roots of Human Relations (1970)
* The Divine Center (1982)
* 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life’s Problems (2004).

Evangelical writer Bill Gordon suggests that Mormon theology and cultural practices undergird Covey’s writing for a general audience.[2] Covey says he “never introduces religion or politics into his books or worldwide seminars”.[3]
Missionary service

Covey served a two-year mission in England for the LDS Church.[4] Covey also served as the first president of the Irish Mission of the Church starting in July 1962.[5] When Covey studied business at Harvard he would on occasion go and preach to crowds on Boston Common.[6]
Honors and awards

* The Thomas More College Medallion for continuing service to humanity[7]
* The National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership[7]
* The 1994 International Entrepreneur of the Year Award[7]
* One of Time Magazine’s 25 most influential Americans of 1996[7]
* The Sikh’s 1998 International Man of Peace Award[7]
* 2003 Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative[8]
* 2004 Golden Gavel award from Toastmasters International[9]
* Accepted the inaugural Corporate Core Values Award from the California University of Pennsylvania on behalf of the FranklinCovey Corporation[citation needed] at the “national Franklin Covey Conference” (December 2006).[10]
* Will be inducted into the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum Hall of Fame on November 14, 2009[11]

Bibliography

* Spiritual Roots of Human Relations, published in 1970 (ISBN 0-87579-705-9).
* The Divine Center, published in 1982 (ISBN 1-59038-404-0).
* The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, published in 1989 (ISBN 0-671-70863-5).
* Principle Centered Leadership, published in 1992 (ISBN 0-671-79280-6).
* First Things First, co-authored with Roger and Rebecca Merrill, published in 1994 (ISBN 0-684-80203-1).
* Living the Seven Habits, published in 2000 (ISBN 0-684-85716-2).
* 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life’s Problems, published in 2004 (ISBN 1-57345-187-8).
* The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, published in 2004 (ISBN 0-684-84665-9).
* Quest: The Spiritual Path to Success by Stephen R. Covey (Editor) (1997), with Thomas Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, David Whyte, Bernie Siegel, Gabrielle Roth and Marianne Williamson. Simon & Schuster AudioBook ISBN 9780671574840
* The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child At a Time, published in 2008 (ISBN 1-43910-326-7).

Principle Centered Leadeship – Covey

“There are three constants in life… change, choice, and principles.”

- Stephen R. Covey

“If you focus on principles, you empower everyone who understands those principles to act without constant monitoring, evaluating, correcting, or controlling”

- Stephen R. Covey

Table of Contents

Preface: A Principle-Centered Approach ….. 13
Section 1: PERSONAL AND INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Introduction to Section 1 ….. 29
Chapter I Characteristics of Principle-Centered Leaders ….. 33
Chapter 2 Seven Habits Revisited ….. 40
Chapter 3 Three Resolutions ….. 48
Chapter 4 Primary Greatness ….. 57
Chapter 5 A Break with the Past ….. 67
Chapter 6 Six Days of Creation ….. 79
Chapter 7 Seven Deadly Sins ….. 87
Chapter 8 Moral Compassing ….. 94
Chapter 9 Principle-Centered Power ….. 101
Chapter 10 Clearing Communication Lines ….. 109
Chapter 11 Thirty Methods of Influence ….. 119
Chapter 12 Eight Ways to Enrich Marriage and Family Relationships 130
Chapter 13 Making Champions of Your Children ….. 144
SECTION 2: MANAGERIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Introduction to Section 2 ….. 153
Chapter 14 Abundance Managers ….. 157
Chapter 15 Seven Chronic Problems ….. 163
Chapter 16 Shifting Your Management Paradigm ….. 173
Chapter 17 Advantages of the PCL Paradigm ….. 181
Chapter 18 Six Conditions of Empowerment ….. 190
Chapter 19 Managing Expectations ….. 202
Chapter 20 Organizational Control Versus Self-Supervision ….. 210
Chapter 21 Involving People in the Problem ….. 217
Chapter 22 Using Stakeholder Information Systems ….. 224
Chapter 23 Completed Staff Work ….. 236
Chapter 24 Manage from the Left, Lead from the Right ….. 244
Chapter 25 Principles of Total Quality ….. 250
Chapter 26 Total Quality Leadership ….. 261
Chapter 27 Seven Habits and Deming’s 14 Points ….. 267
Chapter 28 Transforming a Swamp into an Oasis ….. 278
Chapter 29 Corporate Constitutions ….. 288
Chapter 30 Universal Mission Statement ….. 295
Chapter 31 Principle-Centered Learning Environments ….. 302
Epilogue: Fishing the Stream ….. 313
A Personal Note ….. 323
Acknowledgments ….. 325
Index ….. 327

12 Effective Leadership Roles

* Create an inspiring vision, establish shared values, give direction and set stretch goals…

Principles versus Practices

* Practices – what to do’s – are specific activities or actions that work in one circumstance but not necessary in another.
* Principles – why to do’s – have universal application; when principles are internalized into habits, they empower people to create a wide variety of practices to deal with different situations.

Leading by Principles versus Leading by Practices

* Leading by Practices: all the judgment and wisdom is provided in the form or rules and regulations; employees don’t have to be the experts and don’t have to exercise judgment
* Leading by Principles: requires a different type of and more training, but the payoff is more expertise, creativity, and shared responsibility at all levels of the organization

Principles-Centered Leadership

Four Levels of Practicing

Principles-centered leadership is practiced from the inside out on four levels:

1. Personal: your relationships with yourself
2. Interpersonal: your relationships and interactions with others

Your People Skills 360

1. Managerial: your responsibility to get a job done with others
2. Organizational: your need to organize people
- to recruit them, train them, compensate them, build teams, solve problems, and create aligned structure, strategy and systems

The 4 E’s of Leadership

courage – the Key To Leadership

Empathy

The Leader Is the Best, When…

Principle-Centered Leaders Defined

Principle-centered leaders are men and women of character who work on the basis of natural principles and build those principles into the center of their lives, into the center of their relationships with others, into the center of their agreements and contracts, into their management processes, and into their mission statements.

Major Leadership Schools: Correlation

New Paradigm

Responding to classic dilemmas of modern living, principle-centered leadership presents a new way of thinking that is to help you to:

* achieve and maintain a wise and renewing balance between work and family, personal and professional ambitions, in the middle of constant crises and pressures

Life-Business Synergy

* adhere to simplicity in the thick of increasing complexity
* maintain a sense of direction in today’s wilderness, where well-developed road maps (strategies and plans) are rendered useless by rapid change that often hits you from the blind side
* look at human weaknesses with genuine compassion and understanding rather than accusation and self-justification
* replace prejudice (the tendency to prejudge and categorize people in order to manipulate them) with a sense of reverence and discovery in order to promote learning, achievement, and excellence in people
* get empowered (and empower other people) with confidence and competence to solve problems and seize opportunities� -� without being or fearing loose cannons

Entrepreneurial Leader: 4 Specific Attributes

* encourage the desire to change and improve without creating more pain from the gain
* become a contributing member of a complementary team based on mutual respect and the valuing of diversity and pluralism
* know where to start, when and how to recharge your batteries to maintain momentum for learning, growing and improving.

Inspirational Leader: 10 Roles

18 Leadership Lessons from Colin Powell

* By treating everyone equally “nicely” regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.
* Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing. In well-run organizations, titles are also pretty meaningless. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and inspire…. More

Develop a Clear Vision

The one quality that all leaders have in common is that they have a clear and exciting vision for the future. This is something that only the leader can do. Only the leader can think about the future and plan for the future each day… More

Description and Reviews
From The Publisher:

How do we as individuals and organizations survive and thrive amid tremendous change? Why are efforts to improve falling so short in real results despite the millions of dollars in time, capital, and human effort being spent on them? How do we unleash the creativity, talent, and energy within ourselves and others in the midst of pressure? Is it realistic to believe that balance among personal, family, and professional life is possible? Stephen R. Covey demonstrates that the answer to these and other dilemmas is Principle-Centered Leadership, a long-term, inside-out approach to developing people and organizations. The key to dealing with the challenges that face us today is the recognition of a principle-centered core within both ourselves and our organizations. Dr. Covey offers insights and guidelines that can help you apply these principles both at work and at home – leading not just to a new understanding of how to increase quality and productivity, but also to a new appreciation of the importance of building personal and professional relationships in order to enjoy a more balanced, more rewarding, more effective life.

From Library Journal:
The great “angst” of life has seemingly gripped us all, and there seems to be no limit to the number of writers offering answers to the great perplexities of life. Covey, however, is the North Star in this field. Following his successful Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (S. & S., 1989), Covey now responds to the particular challenges of business leaders by applying his natural laws, or principles, of life to organizations. Covey explains these laws (security, guidance, wisdom, and power), and discusses how seven-habits practice and focus on these principles will result in personal and organizational transformation. He reminds us that personal and organizational success is hard work, requires unwavering commitment and long-term perspective, and is achievable only if we are prepared for a complete paradigm shift in our perspective. Without hesitation, strongly recommended for all management collections.– Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.

readers index
leadership
Reader’s Index
Send us your favorite quotes or passages from this book.

leadership
About the Author

Stephen R. Covey is a renowned authority on leadership, a family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and vice chairman of FranklinCovey Co. The author of several acclaimed books, he has also received numerous honors and awards, including being named one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential Americans. Covey lives with his wife, Sandra, and their family in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Leadership

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey

Table of Contents

PART 1: PARADIGMS AND PRINCIPLES 13
PART 2: PRIVATE VICTORY 63

Habit 1 Be Proactive 65

Habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind 95

Habit 3 Put First Things First 145
PART 3: PUBLIC VICTORY 183

Habit 4 Think Win/Win 204

Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Habit 6 Synergize 261
PART 4: RENEWAL 285

Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw 287
A 1: Possible Perceptions Flowing out of Various
A 2: A Quadrant II Day at the Office 331

Problem / Opportunity Index 341

Index 348

About the Author

Stephen R. Covey, an internationally respected leadership expert, is the author of several acclaimed books, including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This New York Times No. 1 international bestseller has also been on the bestseller lists of Business Week, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly for more than five years. More than 10 million copies of this powerful book have been sold in 28 languages and 70 countries throughout the world. Dr. Covey is co-chairman of Franklin Covey Co., a premier leadership development authority that aids organizations in aligning their strategies with proven principles.

Description and Reviews
From The Publisher:

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People is a comprehensive program based on developing an awareness of how perceptions and assumptions hinder success—in business as well as presonal relationships. Here’s an approach that will help broaden your way of thinking and lead to greater opportunities and effective problem solving.

Be Pro-Active: Take the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.
Begin With an End in Mind: Start with a clear destination to understand where you are now, where you’re going and what you value most.
Put First Things First: Manage yourself. Organize and execute around priorities.
Think Win/Win: See life as a cooperative, not a comprehensive arena where success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others.
Seek First to Understand: Understand then be understood to build the skills of empathetic listening that inspires openness and trust.
Synergize: Apply the principles of cooperative creativity and value differences.
Renewal: Preserving and enhancing your greatest asset, yourself, by renewing the physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional dimensions of your nature.

Stephen R. Covey is the most respected motivator in the business world today. Learn to use his 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People–and see how they can change your life.

1. Core principle: Be Pro-Active

Be pro-active, by applying self-knowledge and self-awareness in order to be able to choose your response.

Second principle of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people

2. Core principle: Begin With an End in Mind

Self-awareness, personal vision and responsibility. Begin with the end in mind, by applying imagination and conscience.

Third principle of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people

3. Core principle: Put First Things First

Leadership and having a mission.
Put first things first by applying will-power.

Fourth principle of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people

4. Core principle: Think Win/Win

Managing time and priorities around roles and goals. Think Win-Win by adopting an abundance mentality.

Fifth principle of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people

5. Core principle: Seek First to Understand

Seeking mutual benefit.Seek first to understand, then to be understood by applying courage balanced by consideration.

Sixth principle of the 7 Habit of Highly Effective people

6. Core principle: Synergize

Empathetic communication. “Sharpen the saw” through continuous improvement of Self-renewal.

Seventh principle of the 7 Habits of Highly Sffective people

7. Core principle: Renewal

Continuous involvement.

3 C’s Of Effectiveness

Confidence
Competence
Commitment