Covey gives advice on leadership
Helping students realize being a leader is possible, world renowned teacher and author Stephen Covey spoke to students Thursday about leadership as a part of Utah State’s Business Week.
Covey is the first incumbent of the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair in Leadership, as well as the author of the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Douglas Anderson, dean and professor of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business said “this is a great chance for everyone to learn from one of the world’s true authorities on leadership.”
Even though Covey’s main focus is research and writing, Anderson said he is very much committed to the education and development of USU students, “not just those studying business.”
Anderson said leadership is something for everyone, not just for “one big brain at the top of an organization.”
“I hope students come away from the experience with Dr. Covey knowing they, too, can be leaders within their circle of influence,” Anderson said. “Dr. Covey will teach principles that will help you become a better leader, if you apply them. We can all benefit from that.”
Covey spoke on the seven habits he talks about his book, starting with the first: be proactive. He said we as humans have four endowments that animals don’t possess. The first, humans are self aware. Second, humans have a conscience. Third is imagination. He said this gives us a chance to decide what is truly important and meaningful.
“Imagination helps us align our lives and activities and helps us be in harmony with our purpose,” Covey said.
The last endowment Covey spoke on is independence.
“You can swim up stream against powerful forces. Cultural, genetic, and environmental forces that will take you down stream. You have the choice to exercise your willpower,” Covey said.
During his speech, Covey showed a short clip explaining certain aspects of the seven habits. In the video he said, “You have the power to choose if you are miserable or not. We have the power and freedom to choose, to create our own weather each day. Each of us makes our own weather and determines the color of the skies of the emotional universe that it inhabits.”
Stressing the ability people have to choose, Covey goes on to say more people are products of conditions of life, not products of individual decisions.
The second habit Covey discusses is “beginning with the end in mind” and intertwines with the third habit, “putting first things first”.
“You decide what things are really important to you, you don’t let circumstances decide that, you decide, then organize your life around those priorities,” he said. ” Learn to develop a system that drives you. A system that you feel inspired to, but is not urgent. The key is to spend your life with important, but not urgent things.”
He said the importance of the fifth habit is more about other people than yourself.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” is a habit Covey said helps individuals to produce alternative solutions to problems as well as enables creativity and respect.
“People do not genuinely, empathically listen to each other, this needs to change to lead an effective life,” Covey said.
Covey also gave advice to audience members who are looking for a job. He explained there is a fool-proof plan of getting any job: being a solution to a problem, not another problem.
“Research organization in depth. Research the customer, the supplier. Be a solution to a problem they have and I guarantee you will get a job,” Covey said. “I give this advice to 15 people and only two will take it because they are the only ones willing to put in the work. Go to them proactively and take initiative.”
Covey used the analogy of a match to explain an individual’s potential, as well as the potential of a leader.
He said: “Think of your life as a match, your potential is all bundled up. It could burn down a building if was put in the right spot, that is the power and potential of the match, the power and potential of a single person. One match, can light another match. If you are a leader in an organization think of the potential you have to light other matches around you.”
During the question-and-answer section of the speech, an audience member asked what Covey was afraid of.
“Violating my own principles. The other day I was talking to my kids and my son said I wasn’t really listening to him, that I was just pretending, and he was right. That is what I am afraid of,” he said.
Another question asked was: what is the number-one thing students can prepare for the future? Covey said participating in class is very important.
“Cultivate the habit of reading, participate in classes so you become active in your own material. It is important for the learner to become the teacher,” Covey said. “Teach your family what you are learning in each of your classes, that will help you succeed.”
Covey said the main thing after someone becomes successful is to remain humble and have courage to live the principles.
“Integrity equals wisdom, which equals abundance which equals no desire to compare yourself to others. That is important after your success,” Covey said.