Have you ever been impressed by someone who is crystal-clear about his beliefs, principles and values, yet can relate to and connect with people from different backgrounds and viewpoints?
Well, these people have probably mastered the habits of independence and interdependence detailed in Stephen Covey’s famous success classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
The book presents a holistic, inside-out approach to achieving success, based on a review of some 200 years of success literature.  The 7 habits are progressive in nature, though there’s no need to master each one before moving on to the next.
From Dependence to Independence
To be truly independent, we must be able to think or act for ourselves, without being influenced or controlled by others’ opinions, conduct etc.  How do we develop independence?  By developing your character and self-mastery so you become a principle-centered person. With a solid, unchanging core, you will have a strong foundation to interact with others powerfully and with confidence.
There are 3 key habits to move from dependence to independence:
From Independence to Interdependence
In order to form healthy, trusting relationships with others, we need to open up ourselves to their points of view and be ready to embrace alternative perspectives. Â Without a strong foundation with habits 1-3, it is easy to be swayed by others, get clouded by hidden agendas or feel the need to be defensive about our opinions.
However, with a strong core in place, habits 4-6 allow us to forge trusting, collaborative relationships with healthy emotional bank accounts. This is where we go beyond independence to inter-dependence, and start to score “public victories”.
Renewal
Finally, the habit 7 creates an upward growth spiral as you continually renew and grow yourself and hone the 6 previous habits.
So, how strongly have you developed your core foundations with habits 1-3? You can consider reading this book together with books like Think and Grow Rich, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The One Thing, and The Effective Executive.  Register for free to download a free book summary and Reading Graphic of Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Want to read the entire book? Get a copy of the book from Amazon.com now.
