September 7 2008: The Eighth Habit Of Highly Effective People
Filed under Media
I’m not as smart as some people happen to think I am. Sure, I was a near-genius when I was a kid, but I’m pretty sure that my brainpower and level of knowledge is at the same level as it was when I was ten. It might actually be a bit lower, because of the amount of Mills & Boon and celebrity gossip that I’ve consumed since then. Anyway. Regular visitors will know that I’ve been following the advertising campaign of the Financial Review, the Australian equivalent of the Wall Street Journal - it’s all numbers and mumbo jumbo to a lateral thinker. Thus far, the slogans they’ve used, which I’ve adored, include: makes a big cheese greater, fertiliser for market gardeners, tycoon warning.
Recently, I saw another: Eighth Habit. It made absolutely no sense to me, no matter how hard I tried to decode it. Habit, habit…nun’s habit? Eighth, seventh…heaven? I’m hopeless, I know. I was going absolutely nowhere with my train of thought, and was actually going to reveal my ineptitude and appeal for an explanation on this blog.
I was saved from this indignity on Friday night. Out with the fella, we passed the aforementioned “Eighth Habit” advertisement, and I regaled him with a long explanation of exactly how stupid I am because of my inability to understand the advertisement. He then kindly explained about the (apparently) famous “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, and how it’s like a self-help Bible in a competitive workplace. Reading an overview of these habits makes me want to avoid the workplace for as long as possible: Habit 1: Be Proactive; Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind; Habit 3: Put First Things First; Habit 4: Think Win/Win; Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood; Habit 6: Synergize; Habit 7: Renewal and Continual Improvement.
And, well, reading the Financial Review as your eighth habit will apparently guarantee that you’ll become one of these highly effective people. I would do so, if not for the fact that it is utterly boring.
13 Responses to “The Eighth Habit Of Highly Effective People”
Leave a Reply
I reserve the right to edit or delete your comment as I see fit, though I only delete comments from anonymous commenters, or people with multiple aliases. Using a genuine name/email combination will ensure that your comment is approved.
Hm, I’ve never heard of the seven habits of highly effective people, and i don’t really follow any of those habits. I guess I’m not an effective person at all then. :P
Regina on September 8 2008 #
I have never heard of those habits either, like Regina, I’m not effective either.
Rosie on September 8 2008 #
Wow, I am too dumb for the financial review.
But it all makes sense now.
Rafia on September 8 2008 #
My mother tried to get me all into those habits a couple years ago..
There’s no way I’d be able to read anything called the Financial Review, I don’t know exactly what that is but it sounds boring enough to pass on.
Shen-Shen on September 8 2008 #
I worked in an accounting office for a while, and even that made my brain numb. I don’t think I could handle “financial review.”
Arwen on September 8 2008 #
I have the book sitting on my shelf, but the list of things I’ll read before I ever get to that is huge. As a side not, the author has a follow-up to that book that is already titled The Eight Habit.
Michael on September 8 2008 #
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is such bullshit. In seventh grade, we had a class called Character Traits & Values and the curriculum was that book. It’s just jargon for basic common sense skills for getting along with people. So fucking stupid.
Yes, I have issues with the Seven Habits.
Arielle on September 8 2008 #
Ngeeeh… I haven’t heard of the seven habits thing. This one wasn’t as clever or pun-ny as the other ones personally - I loved the makes a big cheese greater one, definitely my favourite.
Jess on September 8 2008 #
I’ve heard the phrase “the seven habits of highly effective people,” but I never knew what they were. :P
Kycoo on September 8 2008 #
Oh, I remember that book from I worked at a bookstore! It was very requested, especially people who liked to give it as a gift to their employees. After two weeks or so of getting asked for it so much I thought, so apparently this is a famous book.
Lene on September 8 2008 #
And that was so stupid of me to hit the “Submit” button before I was done writing the comment, LOL. I never really read the book though, because I happened to develop a an extra sense to detect bullshit praise for most books. You should try the self-help section of your local commercial bookstore. It’s full of 7-habits-like books under different names. It’s sickening!
Lene on September 8 2008 #
The one that’s featuring heavily right now in Sydney is ‘Securities Blanket’ which I quite liked- I think its a very well thought up advertising campaign as well.
I’m still not going to read it, I’ll stick to the SMH (the Sydney version of The Age) and Frankie.
Carmen on September 8 2008 #
I’m sick only thinking of the word synergy. I forgot the name, but there was this movie where an older sports magazine executive gets replaced by a much younger one, after the company is bought by a larger one.
And the younger one kept saying: synergy, synergy….
LOL at “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood; ” generally my colleagues’ replies to me are “HUH? Could you please repeat that?” I have the amazing ability to just throw out key words, hoping that I’d be understood. Sometimes I am… while other times… I might as well grow a pair of antlers, given how weirdly I’m stared at. =.=
Vera on September 8 2008 #