Become Highly Effective: Habits 6 and 7

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By Stephanie Wharton

Last month, we discussed the fifth habit in Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. These last four habits are focused on building relationships and producing interdependence. Today, we will wrap our series by taking a brief look at Habits 6 and 7.

Habit #6: Synergize

Once you have truly sought to understand the other person and also to communicate your ideas and needs, you have opened the door for synergy. Synergy is defined as “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts…One plus one equals three or more.”

Covey says the key to synergy is to “value differences – to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses.” Rather than responding to someone who has a different opinion with defensiveness, two people or organizations create synergy when they see things differently and then create a better solution. In order for this to take place, both parties have to be willing to be open and secure enough to set their original idea aside. The more trust there is between people, the higher the level of communication that can occur. Low trust situations result in the lowest level of communication, full of defensiveness and self-protection. The next level of communication is respectful because there is a decent amount of trust. Both people are willing to compromise, but not to find the best possible solution. Lastly, in high trust situations true synergy can occur through solutions, far better than either party originally thought. Synergy is about not being threatened by someone else’s ideas, but valuing others’ differences to create something greater than you previously imagined.

Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw

Covey explains this habit makes all the other habits possible. Sharpening the saw is all about taking the time for self-renewal so you can be at your best. You may have heard Paul Cummings refer to it as managing your state. There are four dimensions: physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional. We often neglect to take care of the physical dimension and find ourselves sleep deprived, dehydrated, and inactive. Taking the time to get enough rest, drink enough water, eat properly, and exercise has a profound impact on the other dimensions and on our ability to incorporate the seven habits Covey discusses. Each aspect of self-renewal is vital and influences the rest. Take the time to renew yourself spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. These activities empower you to be an independent person who is secure enough to pursue interdependence, win/win solutions, and synergy.