“Stephen Covey's most important principle—'seek first to understand and then to be understood'—is the opposite of what most salespeople do, who avoid asking about problems and try to be polite instead.”
About Stephen Covey
Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Relevant Clips10
- Teaching▶ 1:49
Covey's Seek-First Principle Versus Sales Avoidance
Stephen Covey's most important principle—'seek first to understand and then to be understood'—is the opposite of what most salespeople do, who avoid asking about problems and try to be polite instead.
- Teaching▶ 0:20
Internal Success Precedes External Money Results
Successful external results with money require successful internal results first - you must succeed on the inside before you can succeed with money on the outside
- Teaching▶ 9:53
Enlightened Multitasking Scheduled Into Specific Time Blocks
Practice enlightened multitasking by scheduling specific times for multitasking and being proactive about what you'll accomplish during those sessions
- Teaching▶ 5:42
Business Timing — You Can't Harvest What You Didn't Plant
Success requires tilling soil in spring, tending and weeding, then harvesting in fall - you can't plant seeds at summer's end and expect a harvest
- Teaching▶ 6:31
Sleep and Breaks Drive Entrepreneur Output
Rejuvenation quality directly impacts productivity results, requiring good sleep, breaks every 90-120 minutes, and complete business disconnection
- Teaching▶ 8:23
Reactive Mode Means Waiting for Triggers Instead of Leading With Priorities
Most people operate in reactive mode, waiting for emails or calls to trigger them into action instead of being proactive about their priorities
- Teaching▶ 9:22
Timing Success Like Farming — Plant Early or Miss Harvest
Success requires tilling soil in spring and tending plants to harvest in fall - you can't plant seeds at summer's end and expect a good harvest
- Teaching▶ 7:22
Seek First to Understand Before Responding in Conflict
Seek first to understand by asking questions like 'how do you feel, how do you see this, what's your perspective' without marginalizing anyone
- Teaching▶ 0:51
Time Management Is a Misnomer — Manage Yourself Instead
Time management is fundamentally a misnomer—the real challenge is learning to manage ourselves and our automatic behavioral systems
- Teaching
Time Management Is a Misnomer — You Only Manage Yourself
Time management is a misnomer because you can't actually control time—you can only manage yourself