Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

In this article, we will look at the final habit, which is “Sharpen the Saw”. Habit 7 surrounds the other six habits and is the habit that makes the other  habits possible. To refresh our memory the first six habits are:

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin With the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek First to Understand and then to be Understood
6. Synergize

As we recollect, the first three habits are associated with personal development and the next three are associated with interpersonal development.

Personal and Organizational success require production as well as production capacity (an environment that facilitates production). We have four dimensions that define our production capacity:

1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Spiritual
4. Social / Emotional

Sharpen the Saw requires exercising all the four dimensions regularly, consistently and in a balanced manner. Let us examine next as to how each of the four dimensions can be exercised.

Renewing the Physical Dimension

There are three areas associated with the physical dimension. The first is endurance which can be enhanced by cardiovascular activity (e.g. jogging, walking, cycling). The second area is flexibility which can be enhanced by stretching and activities like yoga. The third area is strength which can be built by muscle resistance exercises (e.g. weight lifting, push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups). Renewing the physical dimension, preserves and enhances the ability of our body to do work. This is a strong quadrant II activity (recall ‘Put First Things First’)

Renewing the Spiritual Dimension

According to Covey, renewing the spiritual dimension provides leadership to our lives. This provides our core and commitment to our value system. Alignment of values to true principles of life (e.g. honesty, integrity, respect, compassion), will go a long way in renewing this dimension. It can be enhanced by reading of scriptures, meditating and connecting with nature. If we are focused in serving others (as opposed to helping ourselves only), we are able to do our jobs well. Having a personal mission statement goes a long way in renewing the spiritual dimension.

Renewing the Mental Dimension

            Our education system provides us with discipline and mental development. It is extremely important to carry this forward after completion of our formal education. Proactive people figure out how they remain mentally sharp and up to date, even after completion of formal education. Practicing Habit 3 (Put First Things First) helps us to manage ourselves effectively. Doing this enables us to realize our personal and professional goals. Mental renewal can be accomplished by:

• Reading good literature
• Writing
• Organizing and planning.

Covey recommends spending at least 1 hour a day focusing on our private victory.

Renewing the Social / Emotional Dimension

            The social/emotional dimension is associated mainly with habits four,five and six. It can be practiced on a daily basis as part of our everyday interactions with other people. When two people are working towards a goal, they may see things differently. They can come together with the aim of getting a win/win solution. Next if they seek first to understand and then be understood, they can finally synergize and end up with a solution that meets or exceeds the requirements (or goals).  Success in habits four, five and six are often associated with emotions and not intellect. Having a strong sense of personal security (without being influenced by external factors for instance the social mirror) will help in renewing the social dimension.

All the four dimensions: physical, spiritual, mental and social /emotional have to be developed in a balanced manner as suggested by Covey. Looking from an organization point of view:

• Physical Dimension – Reflects Economic Returns and Well being
• Mental Dimension – Recognition, development and use of talent of employees
• Social / Emotional dimension – focuses on human relationships
• Spiritual dimension – Integrity of the organization, finding meaning/purpose to contributions.

All successful organizations are  focused on renewing all the four dimensions. Japan’s Total Quality Management is a good example of such a focus, and is one of the primary reasons for their success. ‘Sharpening the Saw‘ in one dimension often has a positive impact on the other dimensions as well. One of the global leaders in my organization has a motto that says “Learn and Grow Each Day”, and I believe that this is closely related to ‘Sharpening the Saw’

Conclusion:

With this post, we come to the end of ‘7 Habits of Effective people’. Covey has been a source of personal inspiration for me with his writings. While it is a constant challenge to live up to the seven habits in daily life, keeping in touch with the habits and making small improvements regularly has certainly helped me positively over the last 3 years. I would like to thank all readers for your feedback on this series of posts, and  would like to wish you all the best in practicing the seven habits.

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

This is a guest post for alphabet ‘H’ of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2020 challenge. Join me for alphabet ‘I’ tomorrow…