The 8th Habit

The book “The 8th Habit” by author Stephen Covey is just not a continuation of “ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, which was wildly successful and among the best sellers list. “The 8th Habit” is a book on the paradigm shift in thinking from an industrial age to a knowledge-based era. Not surprisingly, the emphasis once again is on the core character of an individual rather than on personality development. Stephen Covey says that human beings have a choice to determine their destiny as against animals who are dependent on the forces of nature. This ‘choice’ which we are gifted with, must be harnessed to better our situation in life as well as benefit others and the society as a whole. The modern leader has to discover his voice. By this we mean the understanding of our strength and weakness, identifying opportunities and acting upon our lofty ideals. Achieving greatness must be our goal and this can happen only if we empower ourselves and our colleagues to discover our unique and individual voice. The author, Stephen Covey has beautifully explained the nature of self and has cogently explained individual personality as a combination of the Mind, Body, Heart and soul. 1. Mind: The mind is a powerful engine. Our imagination propels us to act and function productively. Our IQ or Intelligence Quotient is a measure of our ability to perform and is an important factor in determining our abilities. Here the author, Stephen Covey, emphasises that mere IQ is not enough if we wish to become leaders of men. The mind provides the vision and an image of what we wish to become. 2. Body: The body reflects our PQ or physical intelligence. Our body is our temple. But most of us ignore our body and in fact abuse it by not exercising and keeping fit. Our well being depends on a healthy body. This brings control or disciple in our lives, which is necessary to convert vision into reality. 3. Heart: This is EQ or emotional intelligence. This form of intelligence was ignored till the late twentieth century. Many of us have observed that some intelligent people are failures in life whereas people of average IQ come up tops. This anomaly can be easily explained. We need EQ or emotional intelligence to succeed and become leaders. This means awareness, sensitivity and empathy. In this knowledge era, our colleagues and employees have become more sensitive to our behaviour and attitude. Empathy and understanding have become all the more important in this ecosystem. This skill is not inborn and can be developed with conscious effort. How many of us go through the motions without putting our heart into it? Passion is critical to success. The fire to succeed should burn, nay engulf our very soul. This effulgence will touch every aspect of our lives. People around us will react positively to this warmth and produce results that would not be possible under normal circumstances. 4. Spirit: SQ or spiritual intelligence is a powerful concept in our lives which we often ignore. SQ is the director who orchestrates the action of the other three intelligence. The ultimate goal of our lives is to gain mental peace and equanimity. Our spiritual development would show us the right path and direction. Our spirit is the conscience, a candle that illuminates the way in darkness. This is the compass that will constantly show us the right way. We must become trim-tabs or rudders, guiding others in the right direction. This requires sensitivity and wisdom. It means working with a conscience. Our character is the biggest asset which we must nurture. The three aspects of a character can be defined as integrity, maturity and an abundance mentality. Integrity means complete honesty, based on the principle of natural laws. Maturity signifies a benevolent attitude. It means compassion and understanding while dealing with other people. Abundance mentality means a feeling of plenty. Sharing results in a Win-Win situation. The new age organization has to be powered by a different fuel. This requires an alignment of our personal goals and that of the organization. The four pillars on which success stands today are Modeling, Pathfinding, Aligning and Empowering. Modelling means behaving and acting in a manner that evokes trust. Pathfinding provides the direction to the organization. This is a compass that guides the organization through the tough roads without swerving from the moral high ground. Aligning can be viewed from two perspectives. The organization as a whole should work towards a common objective. The desired result or goal should be aligned with the moral underpinning. Empowering is providing the tools for people to work following the laws of nature. Empowerment is achieved by bridging the gap. These gaps relate to clarity, commitment, translation, enabling, synergy and accountability. Each of these gaps has to be addressed to realize our potential. The final word is on the four disciplines of execution. Of what use are lofty ideals if we cannot execute them on the ground. To realize our dreams we must focus on what is wildly important. We must create a compelling scoreboard that must be updated constantly. Accountability is the final goal post for a successful and enriched life