Week 7

I’m amazed at the amount I’m learning from the learning materials this semester. I have loved hearing real world examples of entrepreneurs and leaders that are willing to share their secrets of success with others. I’m also looking forward to figuring out how to execute my own plans and what it looks like for my family to be operating with two entrepreneurial ventures at the same time.

A lot of the information this week involved Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. I always benefit from reviewing these principles and assessing where I am on the path of effectiveness. The habit that struck a chord with me this week was to “Seek first to understand…Then to be understood.” This is a skill that I’ve been working on for years and still have plenty of work to do. Recently, I was aware of a disagreement between colleagues and as I spoke with each of the parties separately they had such different views of the situation. I realized that each of them was so focused on making sure they were understood that they couldn’t even wrap their heads around understanding the other. Neither had done anything to intentionally offend the other and at the end of the day the whole situation was just a giant misunderstanding. This skill will benefit all of us in business relationships, family relationships and connection with all those around us. When we gain the confidence and love of a great circle of friends and family we’re prepared to sync our efforts, or synergize, creating far more than any of us could achieve on our own. I don’t think there’s a public victory worth having if you haven’t cultivated great relationships with those you love along the way.