Habit 4: Think Win-Win

At iLEAD, we believe development and growth are vital to one’s well-being and to our community. Over the years, our staff has been collectively studying and implementing the philosophies put forth by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The concepts explored are useful for people of all ages. We will continue summarizing each habit monthly in the Monday Message, and we hope it will encourage you to explore the habits at a deeper level by practicing them in your own environment.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win!
When developing habits that lead you to personal victory, you are creating a winning situation for yourself. You find methods by which you can win, and you follow them up with action. These same skills can be used to translate that “win” into a multi-person victory. Creating a winning scenario in a setting that involves more than one person is a “win-win.”

A win-win perspective views life as cooperative rather than competitive. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks to benefit all human interactions.

Stephen Covey suggests that there are three vital traits to a person who approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude:

1. Integrity: Holding steadfast to your true feelings, values, and commitments.

2. Maturity: Expressing your ideas or feelings with both courage and consideration at the same time.

3. Abundance Mentality: Believing there is enough (success, benefit, etc.) for everyone.

Try approaching decisions by creating an opportunity for both sides to win. It may not always be possible to come up with a deal in which every single party wins; however, at the very least, you can create a deal that shows your teammates that you are looking out for everyone’s interests equally.