The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

“People simply feel better about themselves when they’re good at something.”

“people are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope...with all of their might.”

“When all you want is a person's body and you don't really want their mind, heart or spirit, you have reduced a person to a thing.”

“To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground”

“This power of choice means that we are not merely a product of our past or of our genes; we are not a product of how other people treat us. They unquestionably influence us, but they do not determine us. We are self-determining through our choices. If we have given away our present to the past, do we need to give away our future also?”

“what is most personal ,is most general.”

“No matter how long we’ve walked life’s pathway to mediocrity, we can always choose to switch paths. Always. It’s never too late. We can find our voice.”

“Nothing fails like success.”

“Few of us can do great things, but all of us can do small things with great love. MOTHER TERESA”

“leadership can eventually become a choice not a position,”

“Perhaps the highest way to bring balance to life is the family.”

“Moral authority requires the sacrifice of short-term selfish interests and the exercise of courage in subordinating social values to principles. And our conscience is the repository of those principles.”

“happy Mom means a happy family!”

“For instance, you could study tennis as a sport by reading books and hearing lectures, but until you’ve actually played it, you wouldn’t really know the sport. To know and not to do is not to know.”

“The problem is, managers today are still applying the Industrial Age control model to knowledge workers. Because many in positions of authority do not see the true worth and potential of their people and do not possess a complete, accurate understanding of human nature, they manage people as they do things. This lack of understanding also prevents them from tapping into the highest motivations, talents and genius of people. What happens when you treat people like things today? It insults and alienates them, depersonalizes work, and creates low-trust, unionized, litigious cultures. What happens when you treat your teenage children like things? It, too, insults and alienates, depersonalizes precious family relationships and creates low trust, contention and rebellion.”

“Pay me”

“Let’s examine our three most important gifts (figure 4.2): First, our freedom and power to choose; Second, natural laws or principles, which are universal and never change; and Third, our four intelligences/capacities—physical/economic, emotional/ social, mental and spiritual.”

“Think about it. People are put on the P&L statement as an expense; equipment is put on the balance sheet as an investment.”