Way back in 1989, Steven Covey wrote one of the top-selling business and self-help books ever published, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” These seven principles are worth revisiting today during this time of fear, change, unpredictability, and uncertainty. If you’ve never read it, or if like me it’s been a decade, here they are with some Kiewiet Commentary.
Be Proactive. Respond to current events positively with a mind to improve your situation. Don’t sit and wait to react. Take action now to move in the direction of your goals and objectives.
Begin with the end in mind. This is extremely important today. Quit with the lip service that “this too shall pass”. Yes, it will. And everyone in my circle is tired of my quip that it will pass like a kidney stone. Nothing lasts forever — neither good or bad. Forget the label and accept what is and start envisioning what you want the other side to look like and envision realistically what the future will look like and plan and work towards it. Some, to many, of your clients will continue to work from home. How will you work with them? Many of your clients have upped their online game and are researching and buying more and more from the computer. How are you planning for that? Remember — you are the programmer for your future!
First things first. Steven Covey taught us to DO, PLAN, DELEGATE, and ELIMINATE by filtering things through a matrix. If it is Urgent and Important — Do it now. If it is Not Urgent but Important — Plan it and schedule it. If it is Not Important but Urgent, what he called distractions with deadlines — Delegate it. Find or hire someone to take care of it. If it’s Not Urgent and Not Important — Eliminate it. Get rid of frivolous distractions.
Think Win-Win. Keep in mind that everyone is facing this same storm. It is creating problems on an equal opportunity basis. Value and respect your customers and suppliers by understanding a “win” for everyone is the best resolution. This isn’t about being nice. It’s about your character and living out genuine feelings for mutually beneficial solutions.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Too many of us listen to respond. Put some effort into empathy. You create an atmosphere of caring, positive problem-solving, and authenticity by genuinely trying to understand other people. You’ll be amazed at how much more creative you’ll become as you are now able to see solutions because you understand the problems.
Synergize! Very simply, you’ve got a great team of people to draw from to get more work done and achieve your goals. Combine the strengths of your supplier partners, reps, your industry community (regional and national associations), and even your clients to build a team and experience positive teamwork that moves mountains.
Sharpen the Sword. Many of us have used this time productively to learn new skills, listen to podcasts and join webinars and learn from the multitude of resources we’re so fortunate to have in this wonderful sharing industry of ours. The Japanese call this Kaisen or Continuous Improvement. Balance and renew your health, energy, and resources to create and build long-term, effective lifestyles. Focus on physical, mental, spiritual well-being, and using service to others allows one to create an upward spiral of renewal.
Integrate these seven principles into your life as you work toward leading yourself to a more effective and successful future.
Paul Kiewiet MAS+ is an industry speaker, writer, consultant and coach. He serves as the executive director of MiPPA. Kiewiet was inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame and the MiPPA Hall of Fame. He served as Chairman of PPAI in 2007. A former distributor, he founded Promotion Concepts, Inc in 1982 and worked with some of America’s most valuable brands including Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, and Whirlpool.