Grow from dependence to independence under the Stephen Covey management theory

Stephen Covey believed that all of our actions are the result of past conditioning and that we must change our habits, and who we are, in order to succeed with making large changes in our lives. We start our lives dependent upon others. The initial three habits of Stephen Covey management training take you from dependence to independence. Habit one calls managers to be proactive, rather than reactive, and take control of their environment. Habit two requires the manager to think of the future, always keeping in mind the desired outcome. The third habit means that a manager must first manage herself, implementing activities that accomplish the second habit.

I recommend: Acquire one of the many helpful books and articles from Stephen Covey’s personal recommendations list. Purchase “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” on Amazon.com.

Rely on interdependence through the management theory of Stephen Covey

Once you accomplish the first three habits of the Stephen Covey seven habits of highly effective people, the next three habits allow you to become interdependent. In other words, managers become just as dependent upon their staff as their staff is dependent upon them. It's a mutually beneficial relationship; habit four is think win-win. To be successful at interdependence, you must have good communication with others to develop positive relationships, as habit five means you try to understand others before you get them to understand you. Then, the synergy of habit six means you must all work together to achieve mutual goals.

I recommend: Learn continually from Stephen Covey through the blog on his website. Hire a consulting firm to help guide your business to an effective renovation, such as Stephen Covey’s firm FranklinCovey.

Improve yourself continually with the Covey Model

Habit seven, "sharpen the saw," means that you continually learn from your experiences in order to make yourself a better person. In 2004, Covey added habit eight to the mix, which allows you to go "from effectiveness to greatness." Covey believes that we should always aspire toward greatness, on personal, leadership and organizational levels, and that requires us to always act with integrity and inspire others to do the same.

I recommend: Purchase Covey’s book “The Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness,” from Leadership Now. Join the Stephen Covey Community for additional enlightenment, inspiration and enabling information.