Everyone has a certain purpose to live,we should find it and keep on it .this book Offers theory and practice of how to find your voice and helps others to find their’s.
Introduction
Introduction
the world has changed from the Information Age to a new knowledge-worker age,to a new reality,since the 7-habits of highly effective people was published in 1989.many people and organisations face great change and more difficult challenges .Being effective is no longer an optimal choice in today’s world.it Is a fundamental skills to play in this field.In this new age ,will require for greatness. The 8th habit is not only a single habit add to 7habits ,it is about seeing 7habits power in third dimension.That will meets the essential challenges of the new knowledge-worker age.
That’s why the author Stephen R.Convey writs this book:8th habit.Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.It is full of hope and intelligence to meet the timeless reality.The voice help organisations to survive,thrive and impact the future of the world.
The problems in several ages lies in a core reality:human beings’-nature.the core problems and the core solutions in the workplace and daily life lies in the basic human paradigm.The author also develop this paradigm into the power of individual people.To Be greatness,we should focus on it and make everyone involved in an organisation zation to be drives by the shared vision ,and approach our goals.
Finally,the author believes the future will be a wisdom age .As a person engages in the 8th habit process of finding ones own voice ,making the choice to influence others to find their voice .she will increases her freedom and power in the process to solve her greatness challenges ,and serve human needs.This is the true success,to serve human needs ,to contribute and leave a legacy.
The book includes Two parts,the first part is from chapter 1-chapter 5,the author discuss the problems and solutions in the new world,and then expand the core -human paradigm,This is the fundamental of the whole book .The author also tells a several story’s and frequently asked questions to help us understand his ideas.That is a great way to write ,and it’s easy to read.
The second part is from chapter 6-chapter
15,the author summarised it in two two words:Focus and Execution.Focus embodies the modelling and pathfinding roles.Execution ,the aligning and empowering roles.Every chapter focus on one issue of the core principles,to help us understand how to get an individual greatness,and how does it work in an organization.
Find your voice
From chapter 1to chapter 5 ,the author leads us to take several steps to realising-the greatness that resides within ourselves.
1.what is voice?
Voice is a unique personal significance ,it lies in four parts:Talent,passion,need ,conscience.when you find your passion-that rises a great need in the world,that you feel what you are doing is morally right ,with a great clear conscience,the joint lies your voice.
Voice is a true nature,there are many gifts we were given from our birthday,there are so many gifts still unopened .it includes:talent,capacities ,privileges,intelligences,opportunities.we get freedom and power to choose (follow natural laws principles).our four intelligences /capacities are :
1.physical intelligence,PQ
2.mental intelligence, IQ
3.our emotional intelligence,EQ
4.spirit intelligence,SQ
Developing and using these intelligences will not only impact to expand your own capacities and also impact to influence others and inspire them.
2.How to find your voice?
We have to follow the four principles to leading a more balanced,integrated and powerful life.when you expand your four native human intelligences or capacities,you can express your voice into :Vision,discipline,passion and conscience.those four characters will helps us to enlarge our influences.
The author explains the four words in details:Vision is seeing a future state with the mind’s eye. I think Vision is a insight into reality and use it in the future.the most important Vision is to develop a sense of self,To realize our own potential,to image more big possibilities .
discipline is the executing,it will make things happen.it translate vision into reality.Pssion comes from heart ,it is a manifest as optimism,excitement,emotional connection,determination.the key to find your passion is to find your talent.Conscience is a inner light ,is the moral law .it is a small voice peaceful inside.
it can not goes well without any part.When vision ,discipline and passion are governed by conscience,it will changes the world for good .Or it will be a disaster,think about hitler.
Inspire others to find their voice
To inspire others is a important character of leadership.the author discusses leadership challenge focus on modelling and path finding because most of the world ‘s work is done in and through organisations(including families).
leadship is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.it is alike a inner fire goes out to rekindle others inner spirit.To help others sense his or her worth and potential for greatness is a great leadership challenge.
The same diagram is still use in this part,this time the author try to use it to identify the problem in an organization.the 4roles of leadership are simply devoting from personal four qualities:
1.pathfinding(vision)
2.Aligning (Discipline)
3.Empowering(passion)
4.Modeling(Conscience)
1.Get wisdom and judgement
At first,the author explains the voice influence,taking initiative attitude to expand your influence.Be a trim-tab ,lead and spread your influence no matter what position you hold.it is a positively way to enlarge your influence circle.
Secondly ,Modeling character lays the foundation for trust .you can not have trust without trustworthiness.trust is the key to all relationships,it is also a glue of organization.Trust comes from trustworthiness,trustworthiness comes from character and competence.when you develop both of them ,you will get wisdom and judgment.To improve yourself,you must improve yourself,living the 7habits of highly effective people.
2.How to find a Third-Alternative solutions?
One of the most difficult and challenging problems of work,life ,is how to deal with conflict.Is it a good way to avoid or to repress it or deny it?the capacity to find a solution,create a cooperation Is essential to us.
The Third-Alternative is not my way or your way ,it is our way .To think Win-Win,to listen carefully,the interesting tool is -Indian talking stick,only the person holding the talking-stick is permitted to speak,until you are stasfied that you are understood,others are not permitted to make their points.
3.Achieving shared vision and values
To makesure everyone in the organization is on the same page.Pathfinding is what is decided to focus on as an organization.empowering shared mission are produced when there are enough people to informed,meet the need of people and organization,in an environment of high trust.
4.Execution-XQ
Execution is aligning goals and systems for results.And make everyone involved releasing passion and talent.
Three alternatives to aligning:1)To believe that personal modeling of an individual is sufficient to keep an organization,2)to continuously communicating the vision and strategy ,3)adjust and align yourselves to regular feedback.
5.Are we an track?
Alignment is designing and executing systems and structures that reinforce the core values and highest strategic priorities of the organization.Make-sure to execute top priorities,and creat feedback systems we should focus on what matters the most,aligning to deal with the problems,to review what is happening now ,makesure we are on track.Three roles of leadership is essential to execute our shared mission.
6.Inspire people—to releasing passion and talent
Again,people is not “thing”,try not to control people,and don’t go to the opposite way,to abandon them.the third-alternative is both tougher and kinder,make a win -win agreements and line-of -sight goals.Take time to reflect on their worth and potential,trust them ,empower the knowledge worker.Do not be afraid to let go or giveup control.Try to make a win-win agreement,that commit your highest mutual priorities.
7.Organization greatness
The author indentifies six elements of how the industries age causes gaps in execution.And how the 8th habits can solve the problems.
1)clarity is not only strategic decisions,is to identification and involvement of people.
2)Commitment:is whole person involved in a job
3)Translation :align people’s goals to their voice
4)Enabling :involed people setting up a very powerful visual
5)synergy:The-third Alternative
6)Acoountability :mutual accountabling ,sharing information.
8.Servant -leadership
This point astonished me at first,a servant-leader.To empowering and honouring people to choose in reaching top-priorities goals .And ask questions:1)how is it going)2)what are you learning?3)what are your goals ?4)how can I help you.The spirit of servant leadership will bloom the trust of a team.Trust is a key that person or team consciously choose to give to another.
Conclusion
Find your soul code
I’ve learned that when you don’t know the answer,ask several questions,try to answer it .The fist part:Find your voice ,it helps me to think about the following three questions:
1.what is my talent?
2.Is the skill I use in daily work is my passion?
3.Is it helpful to others?
To read a book is one thing ,to follow the rules is another.we don’t have to do the “great”things from now on ,we should do it in small things .maybe I cannot find it in one month or two ,I can spend a year to do it .it is alike the Nike slogan:Just do it .Do it day by day ,you will finally find who you are ,what is you important purpose,that’s you soul code.
“The more you know ,the more you know you don’t know.”
I can not agree more with this opinion ,it seems the author of
Lead your own boss
It is Unbelievable point,when I read it at first,I am really disagree with it .How can I influence my manager ,Can I change who he or she is ?Can I do what I want since I can “lead”him?in fact ,it isn’t our choice to response to the circumstances,to other people’behavior.we have the power to use our birth gifts to become a positive force of our own lifes.and to choose an approach that can increase our influence on our organization.finally we can become a leader of our own boss.
Listening
The most Important thing I learned from this book is listening.Listening is a way to understand the others. I always attend meetings to discuss solutions of operational problems.Everybody try to proof their opinion is 100percent right,others should listen to him or her.No one takes back even one step.Sometimes it is a chaos.The meeting will last hours and there is no conclusion to it .If we can follow the rule of “Indian talking sticks,make everyone’s speak is listened and considered,it will change our work into a efficient way.
The true success is to serve human needs
Inspire others to find their voice,is serving human needs.we will grow personally ,when we are giving ourselves to others. The author believes this millennium will become the age of wisdom.which signifies the power to choose our direction and to purpose and abet the natural laws.wisdom,wait for your time.Eventually we learned that the more you know,the more you know you don’t know.For people who possess knowledge and abilities,should know one’s individual ignorance and weakness.Wisdom is to use knowledge with higher purpose and principles,to guide us to serve above self.Just listen to your own conscience,your own source of wisdom,wait for your time.
XQ matters
No Matter what we read ,unless we follow it ,it is beyond know it .XQ is a ability to execute your plan,your path.Find your talent ,and make plans for what you should do weekly monthly,your goal in one year ,record your approach,compare to your plan,XQ is the most important capacities of ourselves.Follow 8th habit ,from efficiency to greatness,be a Just do it people.