Insights From The 8th Habit
Many people have learned to appreciate Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Not so many people have read his relatively recent book titled, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. For leaders in socially conscious businesses and non-profit organizations, this new book is a “must read”.
To quote Covey,
The 8th Habit, then, is not about adding one more habit to the 7 – one that somehow got forgotten. It’s about seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the 7 Habits that meets the central challenge of the new Knowledge Worker Age. This 8th Habit is to Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.
When you engage in work that taps your talent and fuels your passion – that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet – therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul’s code.
Can you see the fit between this book and our work in non-profit organizations? In order for us to increase our impact, we must find our voice. To increase our impact exponentially, we must help others within our organizations and in our communities to also find their voices. Covey quotes the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to emphasize the significance of finding our voice.When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world.
I personally believe that God has designed us in such a way that we will only feel fulfilled in life when we find ourselves wrapped up in such a great purpose. What a privilege we have to lead many people in our communities to experience such great purpose. Rick Warren has written a wonderful book titled, The Purpose Driven Life, which includes "design" in the context of this same discussion. I highly recommend that every business and non-profit organization leader read both of these excellent books.
