10 Powerful Stephen Covey Quotes

1. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."

2. "Live out of your imagination, not your history."

3. "We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals."

4. "A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships."

5. "Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out."

6. "Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character."

7. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

8. "There are three constants in life... change, choice and principles."

9. "Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."

10. "In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do."

First Things First

 My daughter, Maria, recently had a new baby. A few days after she delivered, I visited with her, expecting to find her happy. Instead, I found her frustrated. She told me, "I have so many other projects and interests that are important to me. But right now, I have to put everything on hold. I'm spending all my time just meeting the physical needs of this new baby. I can't even find time to be with my other two children and my husband."

Seeking to understand, I replied, "So, this new baby is consuming you?" She continued, "I have other work to do. I have some writing projects that need my attention. I have other people in my life." I asked her, "What does your conscience tell you to do? Maybe right now there is only one thing that matters your baby." She said, "But I have so many other projects and plans." She showed me her organizer. "I schedule time to do these other things, but then I'm constantly interrupted by my baby." I talked to her about the concept of a compass, not a clock. "You're being governed by your internal compass, your conscience, and you're doing something of enormous good. Now is not the time to be controlled by the clock. Throw away your planner for a few weeks. Only one thing is needful. So, relax and enjoy the very nature of this interruption to your life."

"But what about life balance and sharpening the saw?" she asked, knowing I teach these principles. "Your life is going to be imbalanced for a time, and it should be. The long run is where you go for balance. For now, don't even try to keep a schedule. Forget your calendar; take care of yourself; don't worry. Just enjoy the baby, and let that infant feel your joy." I reminded her: "The good is often the enemy of the best. You won't get much satisfaction from fulfilling scheduled comitments if you have to sacrifice first things and best things. Your satisfactions are tied to your role expectations. Maybe the only role that matters this entire day will be mothering your new baby. And if you fulfill that role well, you will feel satisfied. But if you schedule other commitments when you have no control of the demands your baby is going to make, you'll only be frustrated." Maria has since learned to relax and enjoy her baby more. She has also involved her husband and other children more in caring for the new baby, sharing with them all that can be shared.

Identify Your First Things

What are the first things in your life? One good way to answer that question is by asking other questions: "What is unique about me? What are my unique gifts? What is it that I can do that no one else can do? For instance, who else can be a father to your child? A grandparent to your grandchildren? Who else can teach your students? Who else can lead your company? Who else can be a mother to your baby? In a sense, we all have our "babies," meaning some demanding new project or product.

Subordinate Clock to Compass

For many executives, the dominant metaphor of life is still the clock. We value the clock for its speed and efficiency. The clock has its place, efficiency has its place - after effectiveness. The symbol of effectiveness is the compass a sense of direction, purpose, vision, perspective, and balance. A well-educated conscience serves as an internal monitoring and guidance system. To move from a clock to a compass mind-set, you focus on moving the fulcrum over by empowering other people. But the empowerment process itself is not efficient. You can't think control; you think of releasing feelings seldom expressed and interacting with others until you create something better and you don't know what it is at the beginning. It takes a lot of internal security, a lot of self-mastery, before you can even assume that risk. And the people who like to control their time, money, and things, tend to try to control people, taking the efficiency approach, which in the long run is very ineffective. Effectiveness applies to self as much as to other people. You should never be efficient with yourself either.

From Urgency to Importance

When we are guided by an internal compass, a highly educated conscience, we may decide to dedicate an entire morning to one person or to focus on one project and subordinate an earlier schedule we'd set up, unless we have strong commitments to meet with certain individuals, then we work around those. Or we may decide to set aside an afternoon to keep an appointment only with ourselves. During that time, we might sharpen the saw by exercising one or more of the four dimensions of our personality: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. We use self-awareness to know what to do and when. I recommend a time management credo that says: "I will not be governed by the efficiency of the clock; I will be governed by my conscience. Because my conscience deals with the totality of my life. And since it is well educated from study and from experience, it will help me make wise decisions." Under the influence of a well-developed conscience, you make decisions on a daily, hourly, and moment-to-moment basis to be governed by principles. If you are immersed in an extremely productive or creative work, don't let anything interrupt. Can you imagine a surgeon taking a telephone call in the middle of surgery? Most people are buried in urgency. Most production and management jobs call for quick reactions to what is urgent and important. The net effect of a reactionary, urgent lifestyle is stress, burnout, crisis management, and always putting out fires. If you're into daily planning and prioritizing, then by definition you live with urgencies and crises. Important but not urgent activities are easily pushed out by daily planning. When you are guided by an internal compass or set of principles, you begin to see that the idea that I am in control is an arrogant concept. You have to humbly submit yourself to natural laws that ultimately govern anyway. If you internalize those laws and principles, you create a highly educated conscience. And if you are open to it, you will keep first things first.

Essentials for Launching a Business

1. Take baby steps.

Maybe start with just an hour each night after dinner. Later, add add another hour first thing in the morning.
During the first couple of weeks, you need to figure out the schedule that best suits you. If you’re a morning person, get up early to work on your business instead of just watching the morning news.


2. Don’t burn bridges.

Prior to launching your business, examine documents like non-disclosure agreements and any other employment or assignments agreements that you have signed. If you’re not familiar with the legal jargon, seek the advice of a local startup attorney.

3. Test, test, and test again.

Ask for feedback from your friends or family. Talk to potential customers wherever and whenever you can. Create a landing page. Ask potential leads to fill out a survey with SurveyMonkey. Build a prototype and showcase it at industry events or film a product demo.

4. Set realistic goals.

Think of goals like a road-map. If you've never been in a specific place before, how else do you expect to know where you’re going? It’s common for successful businesses to establish three sets of goals - daily, weekly, and monthly - to help them achieve both short and long-term goals.


5. Invest what you can into your business.

 Instead of taking out a huge loan, you can piece together your business plan over the next several months.

6. Find a co-founder.

Co-founders can bring a different set of skills to the business. Let’s say you’re a good marketer, but don’t have the coding skills to build a website or app. A co-founder with those skills will save you time and money while making you more attractive to investors. Co-founders share the workload and stress, offer a listening ear. They are your brainstorming partner and increase your productivity.

7. Outsource as much as you can.

Outsourcing will you save time and you’ll also have someone who has a different set of skills. Instead of throwing your keyboard against the wall because you don’t understand a piece of code, you could outsource your web development to someone who has a web development skill.

8. Family always comes first.

Spend time with your family. Whether it’s eating dinner together, watching a television show, going for a walk or helping the kids with homework, it’s necessary that you have this time with your loved ones.