What I learned from the 7 Habits. (Part 6) When there are differing opinions, too many people focus on compromising when they should be synergizing. Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

What I learned from the 7 Habits. (Part 5) The key to influencing others is to first allow them to influence you. As Stephen R. Covey said, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." It's okay to let others go first. When they feel like you understand, it's much more likely they'll listen to what you have to say. However, if they don't feel understood, it's much more likely they'll be focused on responding instead of listening.

What I learned from the 7 Habits. (Part 4) Think Win-Win. Zig Ziglar said it best, "If you'll help people get what they want, they'll help you get what you want." The key is valuing helping other people win. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we must learn to focus on others. Peyton Manning said it a different way, "The most valuable player is the player that makes the most players valuable."

What I learned from the 7 Habits (Part 3 of 7). Once you know who you want to be and where you want to be, you must "Put First Things First" and manage yourself within time toward your goal. There's no such thing as time management. You can't manage time and neither can anyone else. Time just is. There's only personal leadership and personal management within time.

What I learned from the 7 Habits (Part 2 of 7). Who are you? Where are you? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? If you know the answer to these questions, you'll discover there's a gap between the first two and the second two. I call that the "Success Gap." How do you close the gap? You "Begin with the End in Mind."

What I learned from the 7 Habits (Part 1 of 7). In this episode, I share the most important leadership principle I've ever learned. Learn what it means to "Be Proactive" instead of being reactive. Learn how and why you should focus on your "circle of influence" and why you should avoid your "circle of concern."

What I learned from the 7 Habits (Intro). The first leadership development/personal growth book I was introduced to happened to be the one that inspired me to transform myself and my life. 10 years later, I've read hundreds of books. However, this one is still #1 on my list. Today, I've also published 12 books of my own and speak and train full-time all across the USA, and sometimes internationally, on leadership development and personal growth. After I introduce this book today, I'm going to record a 7 part series and share more details about it. I hope what I share in the series will help you as much as it helped me.

Want to learn what made a front line factory worker I had never met say to me, "I want to cut your damn throat!" If so, take a listen. The short answer: poor leadership from above.

Intention is the foundation of trust. Just as we decide how we feel about others, they decide how they feel about us. If they feel we are attempting to use and manipulate them only for our benefit, we create distrust. If they feel we are trying to help and motivate them for mutual benefit, we build trust.

What is trust? Most people haven't really thought about it. When I ask my audiences this question, most often I get silence. Then, a few people will say things like honesty, dependability, confidence in others. That's all true. But, there's a lot more to trust than that. Today, I'll explore the two pillars of trust briefly: character and competency.