OA Book Club: Review of "The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness"

We all have a voice within that drives us, guides us, and clues us in when something isn't right. This voice serves as our compass, indicating whether or not we are achieving what we hope to from work and life. The challenge is finding and listening to that voice, and then helping others to find their voice.

In this book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, Steven Covey writes about what it will take to find true fulfillment in our work in this age of knowledge. The book reads less like his previous book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (practical and down-to-earth) and more like an encyclopedia entry. However, if you can get past that, the book does provide some useful information on moving beyond simple effectiveness to truly accomplish something meaningful and fulfilling.

The book is separated into two parts: finding your voice and helping others to find their voices. Essentially, one can find their voice when they are totally and completely involved with what they are doing in their life, engaging mind, body, spirit and heart (passion) in that which is important to them. To do this, one needs to look at the things at which they are naturally gifted, their passions, and their interests. The ability to find our voices comes from what Covey refers to as "gifts" we are born with: the freedom to choose, natural laws and principles that dictate behavior consequences and the intelligences (mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual). Those who are considered great achievers have fully utilized these gifts and motivated themselves to accomplish their goals. It isn't about what others inspire you to do, but what you inspire yourself to do.

After one has found their voice, it isn't simply about using it for your own purposes. A good leader helps others to find their voices, so they can also be great. While this is a generally understood leadership principle, Covey explains it through a team-approach (shared vision, goals, etc.). When we are unified behind one vision, we are able to continue pursuing and accomplishing this vision long after the person who shared the vision is gone. This is the true test of leadership - how successful are your people when you are not with them? Covey states that an organization can be great when the vision, mission and values bring clarity, commitment, translation, synergy, enabling and accountability.

The book contained many examples of those who have found their voice. One of the early stories was of Muhammad Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank, which extends microcredit to the poorest people in Bangladesh. He never let the word "no" stop him; he saw those who turned him down as being unable to move outside of their preconceived notions of credit. This story and others in the book can motivate you to seek your voice, instead of listening to the clamoring of others.

While the book may be challenging to read and is not quite as intuitive as Covey's previous book, The 8th Habit stresses the importance of your "voice" in your career. In a tough economic environment, it may seem counterproductive to look for fulfillment and satisfaction in your work when you are not sure you will continue to have work. However, if we truly want to be effective professionals who are valued and valuable, we need to look at what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how it matches with our "voice". Once we are confident in this, we have a responsibility to help others do the same.

The 8th Habit was a tough read, but the insight gleaned was definitely helpful.

Next month's selection:

Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern.

Here's what Amazon.com has to say:

Morgenstern's "from the inside out" system begins by laying out the possible reasons for a failure of organization: technical errors (like having a complex organizing system that breaks down), external realities (like not enough space for your belongings), and psychological obstacles (like fear of failure--or success). Then, her Analyze and Strategize steps help create a plan of action based on your needs and goals, and the brief chapter called "Attack: Getting the Job Done" offers basic ideas for making space. The largest section of the book, "Applying What You've Learned," addresses the specifics of organizing workspaces, home offices, living spaces, and storage areas. Each section has a "How Long Will It Take?" box that gives a realistic time estimate, and Morgenstern's "Julie's No-Brainer Toss List" for each area gives the permission and encouragement that most of us have been waiting for to get rid of things we'll never use again. The section at the end, "Tackling Time and Technology," is worth its weight in DayTimers and PalmPilots. Whatever your organizing issues are, you're not a hopeless case, and you don't need special equipment - just a little understanding of the problem and a willingness to plan before diving in.

Pick up your copy today and share your thoughts throughout the month with the OA Book Club.