Practice This

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a highly successful book by Stephen R. Covey. I was wondering how I could specifically apply the habits to consulting practice. These are the habits:

1. Be proactive.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
3. Put first things first.
4. Think win-win.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the saw.

And this is what I came up with when applying it to consulting.

Habit 1 – Be proactive

• Proactively allocate time for billable and non-billable activities.
• Proactively market your services.
• Proactively help selling your services.
• Proactively help customers identify high priority issues.
• Proactively build technical and soft skills.
• Proactively put customer’s fingerprints on what’s cooking to avoid conflict.
• Proactively track and adjust time.
• Proactively build your network.
• Proactively build your online identity.
• Proactively test your solution earlier than later.

Habit 2 – Begin with the end in mind

• Start with your annual utilization in mind.
• Start with your annual outcomes in mind.
• Start with gig’s outcome in mind.
• Start with your perfect customer in mind.
• Start with your services portfolio in mind.
• Start with your lifestyle in mind.
• Start with what skills you want to posses in mind.
• Start with your online authority posture in mind.
• Start with your next gig in mind.
• Start with your next job in mind.
• Start with your perfect team in mind.
• Start with your perfect manager in mind.
• Start with perfect partner in mind.
• Start with perfect competition in mind.
• Start with perfect you in mind.

Habit 3 – Put first things first

• Put yourself first.
• Put family first.
• Put customers first.
• Put colleagues first.
• Put creative stuff you passionate the most first.
• Put growth first.
• Put planning first.
• Put value first.
• Put communications first.
• Put clarity first.
• Put principles first.
• Put win/win first.
• Put results first.
• Put what works first.

Habit 4 – Think win/win

• Think win/win for you and your family.
• Think win/win for you and your customers.
• Think win/win for you and your colleagues.
• Think win/win for you and your manager.
• Think win/win for you and your partners.
• Think win/win for you and your competition.
• Think win/win for you and yourself.

Habit 5 – Seek first to understand, then to be understood

• First understand yourself then be understood.
• First understand your family then be understood.
• First understand your consulting practice then be understood.
• First understand your customer then be understood.
• First understand your manager then be understood.
• First understand your ecosystem then be understood.

Habit 6 – Sinergize

• Sinergize your lifestyle with your work.
• Sinergize effectiveness and efficiency.
• Sinergize your services with customers demand.
• Sinergize operations with strategy.
• Sinergize marketing with delivery.
• Sinergize work with growth.
• Sinergize values and passion.
• Sinergize intellectual challenge with joy.
• Sinergize with yourself

Habit 7 – Sharpen the saw

• Sharpen your questions.
• Sharpen your vision.
• Sharpen your technical skills.
• Sharpen your execution skills.
• Sharpen your prioritization skills.
• Sharpen your planning skills.
• Sharpen your strategy skills.
• Sharpen your influence without authority skills.
• Sharpen your conflict resolution skills.
• Sharpen your emotional intelligence skills.