7 Habits of Highly Effective Teams

By Mark FullmerUnited States Peace Corps

I can control I cannot control

The weather, brownouts, etc.

My success or failure

Being happy or sad

My genetics

My health

Being employed/unemployed

The death of a loved one

Preparing for storms

Habit 1: Be Proactive (Not Reactive)

Reactive ProactiveYou respond to problems after they manifest

You plan for possible future

problemsYou blame

problems on the situation and

others

You explore how you could’ve

acted differently to control the

problemYou continue to

do only what you are comfortable

with

You make the effort to change

behavior to improve the

situation

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

“I work to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.” – Dalai Lama

“My mission is to be a good father. To do this, I need to work hard at my job to provide a stable income for my family, I need to demonstrate respect and understanding to my wife to model good values to my children, and I need to spend time with my children.”

“My life is an adventure to savor and enjoy. I want to do the following things:- love and serve God - develop wisdom- be patient- have health & strength

Habit 3: Put first things firstInstruction: You have 1 weekend. You have to choose between many things you want to do. Which would you rank as most important?Attend a fiesta

Be godparent at a christening

Complete a 1-day seminar for professional development

Read books to your childrenCheck Facebook

Visit RobinsonsHave a day at the beach

ExerciseSpend time with barkada

Prepare a speech for next week

Who would you save?There are 6 people stranded on a island. There is one boat that can carry 3 people back to civilization. Who would you save?1. Your nephew, who has cancer2. A priest3. A pregnant woman4. The woman’s husband, who is an

ex-convict5. A 7-year old orphan6. Toni Gonzaga

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Win-Win solutions: Do not mean everyone gets what they want. In the real world, a win-win situation is usually a compromise where everyone involved feels they have benefitted. There is no winner and loser.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand,then to be Understood.

Seek first to Understand…

Form pairs. In each pair, one member will share his/her most unforgettable memory. The other memeber will listen and then summarize what she/he heard. Then the other member will share his/her most embarrassing memory.

6. Synergize

Synergy: The ability to do more and better things by collaborating and cooperating with others.

1 + 1 = 3

7. Sharpen the Saw

Time to cut down a tree with a dull saw: 1 hour

Time to sharpen the saw: 15 minutesTime to cut down a tree with a sharp saw: 30 minutes

7. Sharpen the Saw

Physical

Mental

Emotional

Spiritual

Culminating ActivityTake a moment to make a compose a commitment to improving your team.

Sample: To be a better member of the ______________ team, I dedicate myself today to work on 3 things: my______________, _______________, and _______________. Putting first things first, I will work on ______________________ primarily. Using the principle of synergy, I will ___________________________.This is important to me and my team because ______________ ___________________________.

Signed,

_____________________