Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. Stephen Covey More Quotes by Stephen Covey More Quotes From Stephen Covey How does humility manifest itself in leadership and in life? A humble person is more concerned about what is right than about being right, about acting on good ideas than having the ideas, about embracing new truth than defending outdated position, about building the team than exalting self, about recognizing contribution than being recognized for making it. Stephen Covey teamhumblemotivational It's better to be humbled by the word than by the force of circumstances. Stephen Covey forcecircumstances When we listen with the intent to understand others, rather than with the intent to reply, we begin true communication and relationship building. Opportunities to then speak openly and to be understood come much more naturally and easily. Stephen Covey communicationspeakopportunity Some people achieve the top of the ladder and only then realise it was standing against the wrong wall. Stephen Covey ladderswallpeople The highest challenge inside organizations is to enable each person to contribute his or her unique talents and passion to accomplish the organization's purpose. Stephen Covey passionuniqueorganization Lose/Win people bury a lot of feelings. And unexpressed feelings come forth later in uglier ways. Psychosomatic illnesses often are the reincarnation of cumulative resentment, deep disappointment and disillusionment repressed by the Lose/Win mentality. Disproportionate rage or anger, overreaction to minor provocation, and cynicism are other embodiments of suppressed emotion. People who are constantly repressing, not transcending feelings toward a higher meaning find that it affects the quality of their relationships with others. Stephen Covey disappointmentwinningpeople The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. Stephen Covey humilityhumbleheart We must not let the actions or words of others determine our responses. Magnanimous people make the choice to respond to the indignities of others based upon their own principles and their own value system rather than their moods or anger. Stephen Covey choicesprinciplespeople To live; to love; to learn; and to leave a legacy. Stephen Covey legacy Security represents your sense of worth, your identity, your emotional anchorage, your self-esteem, your basic personal strength or lack of it. Stephen Covey emotionalstrengthself-esteem The first principle of ethical power is Purpose. By purpose, I don't mean your objective or intention-something toward which you are always striving. Purpose is something bigger. It is the picture you have of yourself-the kind of person you want to be or the kind of life you want to lead. Stephen Covey principlesmeanfirsts Efficient management without effective leadership is, as one individual phrased, it, "like straightening deck chairs on the Titanic". Stephen Covey individualchairsmanagement If we can't make and keep commitments to ourselves as well as to others, our commitments become meaningless. Stephen Covey wellsifscommitment I think the most significant work we'll do in our whole life, in our whole world is done within the four walls of our home. Stephen Covey wallhomethinking Stop setting goals. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them. Stephen Covey changegoallife Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building. Stephen Covey ladderseffectivenesssuccess Our lives are the results of our choices. To blame and accuse other people, the environment, or other extrinsic factors is to choose to empower those things to control us. Stephen Covey lynchingchoicespeople One of the best ways to educate our hearts is to look at our interaction with other people, because our relationships with others are fundamentally a reflection of our relationship with ourselves. Stephen Covey heartinspirationalrelationship All broken relationships can be traced back to broken agreements Stephen Covey broken-relationshipbrokenagreement Common sense is not always common practice. Stephen Covey common-sensepracticecommon
