Friday 1 June 2007

See, Do and Get - Covey Style

One of the most influential books I have read in my life is Stephen R. Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Personally, I found that the version, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by his son - Sean Covey, is even better. It's more visually engaging and learner friendly. I have passed this book on to so many people I mentor and coach. Though it was written for Teens, its really a Cliff's notes version of his Dad's book with inspiring stories, quotes, diagrams and cartoons. Most of us are kids anyway. (I am ..but that will be another post on being childlike in leadership!)

A vital cornerstone of Covey's understanding of effectiveness is the continuum of See, Do and Get. Seeing has to do with having a good understanding of the issue or problem. The idea of a paradigm shift is part and parcel of Covey's philosophy. In The Co-active Coaching Model, we name this Perspectives and we work hard with our clients to help them see different perspectives especially if they are at a sticking point. Training ourselves to consider different perspectives is vital to us understanding an issue. Many times our perspective can block us from accessing new truth or solutions to the issue at hand. Do you see what I see? Can you step out of your normal perspective and look at the problem from a different angle? Community and playfulness can contribute to this. Listening to others and learning from others is a vital way of looking at things differently. My friend, Gregg Thompson of Bluepoint Leadership calls this "looking at things and people with a new pair of eyes." A new pair of eyes can shift our paradigms. It's like wearing a new pair of glasses. Changing your perspective can result in a mind blowing paradigm shift!

Is there something in your life that you are stuck on? Have you been stuck on this for a while? Try a new perspective on this issue. Tap into your creativity and imagination! Today!

Get a whack on the side of the head!

Tomorrow I am going to write a bit about Do...ing ! So until then I See you as intelligent, resourceful and creative!

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