The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Business Management obviously taught us in this class how to become strong minded, goal orientated, driven minded business people. But the lessons learned in Business Management can also apply to life management as well as household management. Success is only as strong as the relationships we build around us. Many would agree, and few would disagree, that without strong fellow humans believing in us and loving us in our life we would wither away and become senseless lonely lost human beings. Family, friends, significant others, all contribute to success in life either professionally and or personally.

The biblical basis for business enterprise is quite easy to understand. It's clearly stated in the bible to keep everything in perspective. God must be 1st. Business and profit must be a result of serving legitimate needs with value for a modest price. Its clear God wants us to work hard for our profit and not profit from the impoverished or those less fortunate. He wants us to conduct and practice honest, trustful, peaceful business practices without coerce and manipulation. He wants us to avoid the pitfalls of dishonest business practices that create sin and tempt us into greed and sloth. God expects us to practice love and respect for others and himself foremost. He expects integrity from his children with truth, honest, and justice. This clearly explains that God wants us to run our business with the same principles that we use to run our life. In the end our business must profit the heaven of God. Business is an environment that both reveals and refines a person's character, morals, and ethics, and spirituality to the lord. "Our culture has falsely advertised that we can have it all. From a Christian perspective the only place we can have it all is in heaven. Life on this side of eternity, under the reality of sin, is a series of tradeoffs. Choices have consequences and involve costs that need to be considered, no more so that when it comes to keeping perspective on work and family and personal life." (Wong & Rae, 2011, P. 112).

Business is a tool to acquire money no doubt. But as well and more importantly it's a path to serve others and spread the word and wishes of the lord on his beautiful green earth. In the book Business for the Common Good (Wong & Rae) explain in Chapter one that our work is an altar." Each of us serve Christ by doing our work faithfully and with excellence." "The Plumber serves Christ by fixing leaky pipes; the stockbroker serves Christ when giving investment advice; the waitress serves Christ when serving food; the missionary serves Christ on the mission field; the health care professional serves Christ in the hospital, doctor's office or dental chair; and the software engineer serves Christ as the computer terminal. Paul said that in whatever we do for our work, we are serving Christ." The extension of God's rule is required in all occupations." (Wong & Rae, 2011, P. 58). "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive." (NIV) Acts 20:35

There's more to life than to which a person accumulates. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (LK 12:15). Everything we own ultimately belongs to God. "Hold your wealth and possessions loosely and give with open-hand generosity." (Wong & Ra, 2011, P 124). The craving for possessions and wealth go hand and hand with temptation. Many people lose sight of the important things in life while chasing monetary wealth. They neglect there friends and family of their time, love, and commitment. They then soon fall prey to cheating or taking unfair advantage over others in their lust for money, possessions and success. On the other hand those who are blessed with wealth are expected to share generously with those less fortunate. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."(Matthew 6:24) "You cannot serve both God and Money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". (NIV, Matthew 6:24-25, 31-33)

Life is short, and effective time management is very important in your day to day life. Time management in the Lord's view doesn't mean for us to book our daily schedule back to back with non-important task. But to effectively use our time to do the right things that are expected out of us in our one and only life. Our time is very limited on this earth. And every minute that ticks by is a minute less we have to share with others. God expects us to take daily time to enrich personal relationships. He expects us to spend a reasonable time with our family and loved ones, as well he expects us to rest and maintain our health. Covey's time management system consists of 4 quadrants: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important and not urgent and not important." Effective management is putting first things first. While leadership decides what "first things" are, it is management that puts them first, day-by-day, moment by moment. Management is discipline, carrying it out ". (Covey, 2004, P. 148). He also explains in 7 Habits of Highly Effective people, "We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all four ways." (Covey, 2004, P. 288). We must always be renewing and enhancing ourselves physically, social/emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

Steven Covey's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become a best seller and was a very valuable resource in this Business Management course. Steven Covey clearly states that he did not invent these rules but discovered a clear precise way to deliver them so anybody could learn and practice the valuable lessons of them at hand in everyday life. Habit 1, explains for us to be "Proactive". He explains the difference between the proactive mindset vs. reactive mindset. "It means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.