Habit 4: Think Win Win

In the previous article we looked at the 3^rd Habit, which is “Put First Things First”. It can be summarized as “Prioritize the Important Tasks”. Mastery of the first three habits, leads an individual from being dependent to independent. Habits 4, 5 and 6 are focused on moving from independence to interdependence (transition from an individual to a leader).  This article focuses on  Habit 4:  “Think Win Win”.

            Covey outlines the following  six Paradigms of human interactions:

1. Win/Win
2. Win/Lose
3. Lose/Win
4. Lose/Lose
5. Win
6. Win/Win or No Deal

Win/Win is based on seeking mutual benefits (for both parties) in all interactions. It is built on the premise that life is cooperative and not competitive. It is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everyone. One person’s success need not be achieved at the expense of someone else’s failure.

Win/Lose is an authoritarian approach (If I win, you lose). People with a Win/Lose mentality are likely to use power, position and credentials to get their way. Society in a lot of ways tends to make people with this mentality (e.g. in the field of academics and athletics, the winner takes it all). The flaw with this approach according to Covey is the fact that recognition to intrinsic values are not given. Larger roles in life require team work and cannot be accomplished independently.

Lose/Win is the opposite of Win/Lose. If peacemaking is taken to an extreme, it results in Lose/Win. According to Covey, Lose/Win is worse than Win/Lose, since it has no standards, expectations or vision. It also tends to build suppressed feelings in the person that always loses. The suppressed feelings often tend to show-up later in unpleasant ways.

Lose/Lose situation arises when two strong minded Win/Lose personalities come together. The feelings are so strong in such a situation that each party is more determined to make the other one lose out (even if it means that both sides end up losing). As clearly seen this is a very poor choice, since no goals are achieved in the process.

Win is a paradigm, when a person is solely focused on winning without worrying about the outcome for the other party involved.

Win/Win or No Deal paradigm uses an approach where the two parties respectfully disagree and walk away if a mutually beneficial solution is not forthcoming. However, in close personal relationships, this is not a feasible solution.

            Now that it is clear that Win/Win is the best alternative, we are going to look into the various dimensions of Win/Win. It involves exercising the unique human endowments of self-awareness, imagination, conscience and independent will, in pursuit of mutual benefits.

            Win/Win is built on five dimensions:

1. Character
2. Relationships
3. Agreement
4. Processes
5. Systems

Character forms the foundation of Win/Win. The three critical traits of character are Integrity (value we place on ourselves), Maturity (balance between courage and consideration) and Abundance Mentality (there is plenty for all).

Integrity revolves around making and keeping commitments. Hrand Saxenian defines maturity as “the ability to express ones own feelings and convictions balanced with consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others”. The table below shows how the various paradigms fit in the maturity continuum.          

From Win/Win character, Win/Win relationships are built. Trust is the key essence of Win/Win. Trust is built by demonstration of genuine courtesy, respect and appreciation when alternate view points are expressed. Trust replenishes what Covey calls the “Emotional Bank Account”. Having a high balance in the emotional bank account, makes it easier to appreciate alternate points of view and think of mutually beneficial solutions.

From Win/Win relationships, Win/Win agreements can be formulated. At work place, we have Performance agreements between the employee and employer. In the business world, we have agreements between companies and their suppliers. According to Covey, the following are the 5 keys to a Win/Win agreement:

• Desired Results (Not methods)
• Guidelines (principles and policies)
• Resources Required (Financial, Technical, Administrative)
• Accountability
• Consequences (good and bad)

In Win/Win agreements, people often evaluate themselves. A Manager, merely gets things going and serves as a first assistant to his or her subordinates, guiding them when required.

Finally, the processes and systems in place in an organization need to be aligned with Win/Win in order to promote it. If we talk Win/Win, but have a system that promotes Win/Lose, then it is not possible to expect a Win/Win outcome. For example, if we expect team members to cooperate to achieve a team target, we need to ensure that this is considered in formulating the reward system.  If we put good people in bad systems, we will get bad results. This is one of the fundamental problems in several organizations (often people are blamed for poor results without reviewing the systems in place).

In summary, Covey describes Win/Win as a total paradigm of human interaction. According to him, it arises from a character of integrity, maturity (balance between courage and consideration) and abundance mentality. It grows from high trust relationships. Win/Win is embodied in effective agreements that clarify and manage expectations as well as accomplishments.

Hope you enjoyed this post.  In the next post we will look at Habit 5 which is “Seek First to Understand and Then be Understood”.

Reference: 25^th Anniversary Edition “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.

Read about the fifth post here