What were the most meaningful passages from Covey’s Chapters 6‒11, and why? What can you apply to your work or life?. Initial postings should be 250-350 words (written or verbal), cite references in your initial postings (either the textbook and/or an outside resource), use proper APA and grammar, and the discussion should be at a critical level. Each student replies to the instructor’s initial discussion question(s) with a substantive post which is one where you contribute your ideas, add new information, pose questions, offer personal experiences to illustrate a point, or demonstrate that you understand and can apply to the course content.
** it has to be from chapter 6-11. I am going to post my classmates posts to give you an idea.
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Good Evening Everyone,
In my perspective, a meaningful passage that stood out was when Covey discusses the whole-person concept and neglecting the spirit, mind, heart, and body. He points out chronic problems for each category. For example, if the spirit of an organization is neglected, then the chronic problem would be low trust (Covey, 2004, pg. 107). Due to the lack of trust, acute problems occur which lead to an environment filled with poor communication, “backbiting, and “in-fighting” (Covey, 2004, pg. 109). I think this is significant in my own life when I look at past work experiences. One of my previous organizations went through a complete re-organization, and acute problems such as misalignments, interdepartmental rivalries, and politicized behavior occurred daily. This led to lower trust and micromanaging. This is a prime example of the organization neglecting the body. Reflecting on this, Covey later discusses the negatives of short-term thinking and achieving long-term results. They were asked to complete a reorganization with only 2 months of preparation, and looking back this needed to be much more of a long-term effort.
Another passage that stood out is when the author discusses the Greek Philosophy of Influence. I have heard the saying “Seek first to understand, then be understood”, but Covey’s discussion helps me put this into a much better perspective. Covey first discusses ethos, as one’s personal credibility, or spiritual quotient. In addition, he relates ethos to EQ, and Logos to IQ (Covey, 2004, pg. 130). I think him makes these relations helps me better understand the importance of Pathos. I understand “Seek first to understand”, yet I think it’s something I can better apply to my own life. For example, I can better understand others’ points of view to the point where they feel deeply understood. Only then I can present my own logic.
The passage I found the most meaningful is when Covey discusses margin and mission. Covey states that most businesses are so focused on margin that “they lose sight of the very vision that inspired to get them into business in the first place” (Covey, 2004, pg. 225). He states hat in order to be successful today’s global economy you have to find a balance between both. I think that finding this balance can be extremely difficult in an organization, but is necessary to maintain sustainability. Again, I would like to become an Organization Development consultant, so knowing how to properly balance margin and mission is critical. I think going back to the whole-person concept and applying it here could extremely helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I look forward to learning from everyone else’s posts!
Mitch
Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8th habit. New York: Free Press.
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When Covey said, “Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it themselves,” (Covey, 2004, p. 98), that really hit home for me. I think a lot of times we think that leadership is all about giving people their daily work and ensuring that it is completed, but in all honesty a large portion of their job is making sure that their people reach their highest potential. I have had leaders explain to me, that the importance of guiding people and having them reach their fullest potential is that someday they are prepared, can tackle anything that comes their way and someday lead a team of their own. Several leaders that I have had, put me in situations that I didn’t necessarily think I was ready for, but it pushed me to my fullest potential and had me grow both personally and professionally.
We all work with a wide range of individuals who exhibit different strengths and weaknesses, that complement each other. Covey explains, “The spirit of a complementary team is that you are there to play a unique role that compensates for the weaknesses of others,” (Covey, 2004, p. 127) this ever true as it relates to the teams we work with on a day-to-day basis. For example, on my team, I tend to be more methodical in how I approach a new project or business change, when some on my team, jump in with both feet and then figure it out as they go. While both methods do work, both are very different while working towards a common goal.
Thank you for reading my post, I look forward to reading which passages you all found meaningful.
