Stephen R. Covey

Principle-Centered Leadership

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To become successful, and capable of exercising effective leadership, you must first of all be a person with principles. In his book, Principle-Centered Leadership, Stephen Covey explains his theory of the “law of the harvest”, which determines that in order to be effective leaders, we must build on authentic core values, as well as a series of natural rules and behaviours, which are an inherent part of human culture.

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Analysis and key concepts

01.

Principles come into play regardless of external conditions, so they must be central to your dealings in life and relationships, and placed at the centre of a company

02.

Principle-centred leaders are men and women of character, who work according to "natural principles" and are able to build relationships, reach agreements, and execute management processes based on these principles

03.

There is a big difference between primary greatness and secondary greatness: the first comes from character, the second from external attributes, such as fame and wealth

04.

The discernible characteristics of leaders who base their action on principles are easily recognised: curiosity, positivity, trust in others

05.

Breaking deeply ingrained habits, such as procrastinating, criticising, overeating, or oversleeping, involves more than just a little desire and willpower

06.

Leadership can be based on coercive power, on the power of utility, and, ultimately, on principle-centred power

07.

The guidelines of principle-based leadership are absolute, not simply applied to either work or our private lives

08.

Quotes

09.

Take-home message

01. Principles come into play regardless of external conditions, so they must be central to your dealings in life and relationships, and placed at the centre of a company

The core concept in this book is very simple, and quite basic: to achieve success, we must rely on principles. This approach is summarised in the author’s "law of the harvest", that is, preparing the soil, sowing the seeds, weeding, watering, and monitoring the plants’ growth and development, until they fully mature, as this is the only sure way to obtain the desired result, in any context.

We often think of change and improvement as external forces that penetrate inwards, rather than internal ones that radiate outwards. So, even though we recognise the need for inner change, we usually think in terms of learning new skills instead of relying more on our core principles. Some of the most significant breakthroughs that are achieved are often the result of "internal ruptures", deep, inner changes that move a person away from traditional ways of thinking, resulting in true paradigm shifts.

Principle-Centered Leadership introduces the reader to a new paradigm, which encourages people to centre their lives and leadership style around specific authentic and natural principles. In this vision, to successfully exercise effective leadership, you must first become a principled person.

02. Principle-centred leaders are men and women of character, who work according to "natural principles" and are able to build relationships, reach agreements, and execute management processes based on these principles

03. There is a big difference between primary greatness and secondary greatness: the first comes from character, the second from external attributes, such as fame and wealth

04. The discernible characteristics of leaders who base their action on principles are easily recognised: curiosity, positivity, trust in others

05. Breaking deeply ingrained habits, such as procrastinating, criticising, overeating, or oversleeping, involves more than just a little desire and willpower

06. Leadership can be based on coercive power, on the power of utility, and, ultimately, on principle-centred power

07. The guidelines of principle-based leadership are absolute, not simply applied to either work or our private lives

08. Quotes

09. Take-home message

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Many useful tips to:

Develop a personality based on core principles.
Lead other people through consensus and participation.
Bring your core values into your professional life.

The author

Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012) was one of the most important international authors in the fields of business management and personal development. His conferences attracted thousands of people, and Time considers him one of the twenty-five most influential men of the world. Together with Hyrum Smith, he founded FranklinCovey, one of the top global companies in leadership development consulting. He also wrote other successful books, such as The 8th habit and Principle-Centered Leadership.

Edition

Publishing house:

Fireside Press

Year:

1992

Pages:

336

ISBN:

978-0671792800