Since I started my business two years ago, I’ve developed the habit of reading or listening to at least one business-related book per month, and I’m enjoying sharing them here. This month it’s a classic, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change” by Stephen R. Covey; it’s been on my list for years and the audiobook jumped out at me when I was perusing at the library the other day.
Anyone can benefit from developing these habits, and I especially love looking at the habits through the lens of entrepreneurship and social media:
1. Be Proactive. Just remember that every moment, every situation, provides a new choice.
2. Begin with the end in mind. Begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.
3. Put first things first. There’s no need to overextend yourself. All it takes is realizing that it’s all right to say no when necessary and then focus on your highest priorities.
4. Think win-win. Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Communication is the most important skill in life.
6. Synergize. To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems.
7. Sharpen the saw. Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.
These seven habits support some of my golden rules of social media: remember to value quality over quantity in your content and the more you interact with other people and businesses, the better!