The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Which habit do you personally have the greatest difficulty with?
Habit 5. When I am really tired and already convinced I’m right, I really
don’t want to listen. I may even pretend to listen. Basically I am guilty of
the same thing I talk about, listening with the intent to reply, not to
understand. In fact, in some sense, I strug gle almost daily with all 7 Habits.
I have conquered none of them. I see them more as life principles that we
never really mas ter and that the closer we come to their mastery, the more

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aware we become of how far we really have yet to go. It’s like the more you
know the more you know you don’t know.
This is why I often gave my university students 50 percent of the grade
for the quality of their questions and the other 50 per cent for the quality of
their answer to their questions. Their true level of knowledge is better
revealed that way.
Similarly, the 7 Habits represents an upward cycle.
Habit 1 at a high level is vastly different from Habit 1 at a lower level. To
be proactive at the beginning level may only be awareness of the space
between stimulus and response. At the next level it may involve a choice
such as, not to get back at or to get even. At the next level, to give feedback.
At the next level, to ask forgiveness. At the next level, to forgive. At the
next, to for give parents. At the next level, to forgive dead parents. And the
next level, to simply not take offense.
You’re the vice-chairman of FranklinCovey Company. Does FranklinCovey live the 7 Habits?
We try to. Continually trying to live what we teach is one of our most
fundamental values. But we don’t do it perfectly. Like any other business,
we’re challenged by changing market realities and by integrating the two
cultures of the former Covey Leader ship Center and Franklin Quest. The
merger took place in the summer of 1997. It takes time, patience, and
persistence in apply ing the principles and the true test of our success will be
in the long run. No snapshot will give an accurate picture.
Any airplane is off track much of the time but just keeps com ing back to
the flight plan. Eventually, it arrives at its destination. This is true with all
of us as individuals, families, or organiza tions. The key is to have an “End
in Mind” and a shared commit ment to constant feedback and constant
course correction.