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Futurlogics as (Habit Zer0) and Stephen R. Covey's Eight Habits
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People first published in 1989 by Stephen R. Covey . Any book with such success should be studied, even if the content is not studied for it's own sake. If any question should be asked, it is how has this work been so successful? What are the principles 'under the hood' that make the ideas in this book acceptable to such a large numbers of readers? Surely the phenomena and influence upon millions of readers and followers is an example of Covey's "Habit 6" or the SYNERGY produced by the input of many his many readers. New words and concept are now in common usage in todays work world through the influence of this book and teachings of Dr. Stephen R. Covey personal touch. What follows on this web page is a discussion by James N. Hall author of Futurlogics concerning the "SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE." The commentary is mainly styled for those who have already read this publication. Nevertheless reading these commentaries first will serve as an overview to frame reading. Comments in parens '()' are by james n. hall in the immediately following list of Habits by Stephen R. Coveys book which sold many millions of copies and the overview of many tapes and lectures by this successful consultant and effective teacher.
(HABIT ZER0 FUTURLOGICS a system of prospective thinking)
Principle of self-teaching
(To be explained later in this article and is not part of the original
publication yet may be seen as an underlying principle)
(* The Self Teaching Principle)
(HABIT ZERO, HABIT ZER0)
(There is no free will, self determination, free agency, or power to
choose, decide, select without a FUTURE; and, all preparations to
learn of the future is predicated upon PROSPECTIVE THINKING)
Note: Habit ZERO or Habit ZER0 is a concept more fundamental than the
original "Seven Habit of Highly Effective People". It should preceed
and succeed the theme of Covey's work.
(Habit Zero is essentially the ability to teach oneself.)
"They will ultimately begin to think, and think until they form habits of thinking,
and perhaps after a while they will learn to think truly. Men who are not in the
habit of thinking are as apt to think wrong as to think right, but when the habit
is once formed they will begin to discriminate, and use faculties with which they
are naturally endowed. When they emigrate to this land, the first thing they think
of is to improve the elements, and provide for themselves the means of subsistence."
~P. P. Pratt, at Great Salt Lake City, 1853
HABIT 1 Be Proactive:
Principle of Personal Vision
(Here we leave the the world of "group think" and venture into the
adventure self motivation and "personal think.")
(Futurlogics is a system of Prospective Thinking to develop clear and
well defined visions of what may be seen ahead, Covey uses the human
trait of self-awareness and imagination to capture these visions.)
(DMP as the Ideal in Futurlogics for dealing with the abstract nature
of the future)
(DMP is simultaneously Direct Mind Perception and Direct Mental Process)
(Direct Mind Perception is insight; Direct Mental Process is intuition )
(PREACTIVITY or Pre-activity is greater than Proactivity and requires
prospective thinking)
(Remember the PREACTIVITY of prospective thinking preceeds THE PROACTIVE
HABIT! or HABIT 2 is impossible without Habit 0. HABIT 1 should be the
consequence of the pre-thinking HABIT)
(A vision of the past is not your guiding star)
HABIT 3 Put First Things First: (Author james n. hall sees Habit 3 comes before Habit 2)
Principle of Personal Management (You have to manage yourself before you lead others!)
(Where are your priorities as a decision making method?)
(Strength of character as a basis of time management)
(Ponder and weigh the possibilities and probabilities, waiting)
(See the Application Section of the Futurlogics as it covers much
the same territory i.e. Waiting,Preparing,Planning,Universal
Engineering)
(Time management without a fullness of the future is only approximate
management full of surprises, Futurlogics can give clarity to the
temporal environment.)
(Futurlogics chapter on WAITING is somewhat similar to the Forth
Generation Time Management mentioned by Dr. Covey)
HABIT 2 Begin with End in Mind:
Principle of Personal Leadership
(Establish your legacy by seeing ahead to what you will leave behind
as an altruistic sacrafice or a vision of your contribution)
(Consider your guiding star(s) or backcasting your vision )
(Nearly the same as the cycle/mode/model/future/paradigm pattern in
Futurlogics)
(Beyond Goal Orientation to Future Orientation with prospective
thinking)
(The principles of prospective thought do more than building a legacy
it prepares us for the adventures of the future of the future)
(Using long range vision to guide short range views.)
HABIT 4 Think Win/Win:
Principle of Interpersonal Leadership.
(Build people who will in turn assist you in obtaining your goals)
(Service and succor you can provide to market your service/product)
(Perhaps in some cases the Habit 8 should be applied here)
(Mechanics of Teamwork, Mutual Trust)
(Inspire cooperation!)
HABIT 5 Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood:
Principle of Empathic Communication
(Take care to really know where you are before you begin to explain
where you are going.)
(Charity, care, diligence, harmless, judgeless, accepting contact with
social realities)
(Know your audience before you speak)
(Be real and relavant to others)
HABIT 6 Synergize:
Principle of Creative Cooperation
(This is 'Barn Building' as portrayed by Barbara Sher in "Wishcraft"
(DMP enlightenment and intuition pooled at the social level in the
foundation of freedom)
(The results of a creative enterpise if fed back to the enterprise will
and can cause greater conditions to promote greater creativity.)
(Two heads working together are better than two head working in
isolation of one another)
HABIT 7 Sharpen the Saw:
Principle of Balanced Self-renewal
(Metacognition and RE-creation, Sunday day of rest, think smarter not
harder)
(Prospective thinking is the sharpening medium to do the tool improvement
to get that 'Upward Spiral' or 'Expanding Spiral' of Futurlogics.)
HABIT 8 Find your voice and inspire others to find their voice:
From Effectiveness to Greatness Mentoring
(A Guru for everyone)
(Mentoring will prepare one for the new thinking for the future needed
for the KNOWLEDGE BASED societal age)
(It appears Dr. Covey is changing his "Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People" to "Eight Habits of Highly Affective People")
(Four attributes of the great leaders are VISION, DISCIPLINE, PASSION,
and CONSCIENCE. Dr Covey melds these in to the qualities of great
leadership. The VISION attribute is in the provence of FUTURLOGICS
and prospective thinking, as it is defined as the leaders grasp of
the future. Futurlogics can perfect vision with clarity and
creativity. The HABITS disappear when there is no future. The more
the leader knows of the future the greater is his power to lead.)
The first observation concerning using habits as a thinking system is that:
A. In specific HABITUAL thinking can limit the ability to improve ideas
or generate new ideas.
B. In general HABITUAL thinking can limit less the ability to improve ideas
or generate new ideas if the habits are founded upon principles, but
still there is a limiting affect . This affect is admittedly lessened
with Habits founded upon principles as the Covey "Seven Habits" yet there
should be a concern when the time for idea generation is required as in
brainstorm sessions or "Barn Building" .
C. Paradigms as Covey defines them are sometimes very persistent especially
when habits are reinforced by a culture or family. These will often
be difficult to shift or overcome.
D. Much importance is put upon the space between 'stimulus' and 'response',
but there is space before 'stimulus' and there is space after 'stimulus'
and there is space before 'response' and there is space after 'response'.
Futurlogics is concerned with as a system of prospective with the space
before any stimulus. This is necessary to prepare for
the stimulus and prepare for a response through planning.
E. "The power of an accurate paradigm lies in its ability to explain and
predict" quote Stephen R. Covey in his book the "EIGHTH HABIT".
The Paradigm mode/model of FUTURLOGICS is the paradigm builder that
will be the connection to HABIT ZER0 or futurlogics. In other words
futurlogics breaks covey's paradigm down to thinkable components.
The point is HABITS in the true sense of the word will channel thinking but
Stephen R. Covey defines HABIT in another way; he has borrowed this word to
represent his concept of HABIT. Often the HABITS in the true sense of the word
do constrict thinking but his principle based HABITS will be more liberating.
A person who has never experience a 'paradigm shift' will not relate to the need
for a shift. However, if you are used to shifts occuring regularly constant
shifting is expected and wanted in some respects. Creativity is the impetus
for the 'paradigm shift.'
Creativity is mentioned only at the social level of the interpersonal or HABIT 6.
The use of Futurlogics as the Personal Habit level should compensate for the
apparent *"Group Think". Yet a brainstorm team does reach the synergy of idea
generation that often the personal level overlooks due to a personal bias.
Personal biases do and will offset themselves at the group brain storm session.
Actually both methods of generating ideas are benificial to idea creation.
We must 'value the difference' to best reach creative synergy.
*note: Any time you think best in a social setting your thinking is a product
of the 'social mirror'. This is in part 'Group Thinking.'
Let us pause here to note that MODE in futurlogics is a level more
primitive than the Covey Paradigm concept. It is a component, if you will.
Example in FUTURLOGICS a cycle produces a mode, switching modes sets up a
model, models or paradigms are directed to the future, paradigms in
Futurlogics are both modal and model yet they are Paradigms. Any view or
foreknowledge of the future is at once a paradigm. All paradigms are
prospective in nature. A paradigm is a template or map to deal with the
unknown or the future possibilities.
BELOW ARE EXTRACTS FROM FUTURLOGICS CONCERNING HABIT(S):
Futurlogics enables us to alternate from one mode to another
freely so that we can approach the future from many perspectives and
evade the distortion of a narrow approach. Even though the beginnings
are mechanical, when the process is internalized we should find
the emergence of DMP. How do we internalize the procedure of Futurlogics?
It is by practice and conscious effort that it will eventually become
HABIT and unconscious procedure. It is during these stages that the
sense of DMP will be felt and is discernible in our thought process.
THE SIX MODES ARE THE RESULT OF SUBCONSCIOUS FORETELLING
Each of the favorite modes that have been discussed is the
product of subconscious process. Even though the modes may have
begun as a conscious process, through constant use they become
HABITS, so that finally an approach which began without any awareness
of the other ways of approaching the future becomes ingrained and
the other ways are discounted.
. . .
Futurlogics begins as a conscious system of prediction, but as it
becomes HABITUAL it proceeds to a subconscious transition of
foretelling which is the beginning of DMP. Once DMP is experienced,
then the only better way of learning of the future is through the
high-altitude method of prophesy.
. . .
The cause-effect principle is important to the concept here developed:
mere existence causes things to happen. These effects of our
existence are willed or they are involuntary. When they are willed, we
enter a special category of material interaction. Whenever we alter
conditions and cause specific effects to occur, we are preparing.
Anything that causes a desired effect, and is done purposely, is
preparing. When we learn to control who we are and how we do
things--engineering them to specific designs and plans--we are preparing,
even if our preparedness has become HABITUAL and below awareness.
. . .
Thirdly, HABITS are a big part of everything we do. If we constantly
put off preparation for tomorrow soon we find that it is a HABIT.
We procrastinate until the reality of the event is upon us and we
then experience the sudden stress of urgency and lack of time to
adequately prepare.
Forthly, we get into the habit of putting off for tomorrow because
the event is so far into the future its remoteness tempts us to say that
we have "plenty of time." This suggestion to our subconscious may
also start the HABIT we mentioned.
. . .
Realistic goals should be kept within the scope of our resources
and abilities. Many men have equal ability, but unequal resources, however
unfortunate this may be, and it is a fact that must be considered with the
process of goal selection. Ability can be seen as a resource, and nothing
should be thought impossible, as pessimism kills the imagination which is
the key to creative planning. The point is that excessive failure is taken
by some to be HABIT forming and frames much successive behavior.
Long-range plans will naturally affect short-range plans, but many
short-range plans we make daily can also give thrust to the lon-range as
goals come from our motivational system. If we are HABITUALLY
shortsighted, then the HABIT will influence goals we select in longer term
planning.
. . .
2. As with all human behavior, planning is rooted in HABIT.
Overcoming HABITS of avoidance is one of the first things we must do
to improve our innate skills of planning and creativity.
END OF QUOTED EXTRACTS FROM FUTURLOGICS CONCERNING HABIT(S):
If I understand Stephen R. Covey Seven Habits, which are based upon principles,
they liberate us from habits based upon imbalance and off-centeredness and the
'social mirror'.
Principles are the mainstay of the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People."
Futurlogics 'habit' is based upon the general overall Self Teaching Principle.
HABIT 7 Sharpen the Saw:
Principle of Balanced Self-renewal.
(Metacognition and RE-creation, Sunday day of rest, think smarter not
harder, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure')
(I believe that prospective thinking is the sharpening stone upon which
the tools are sharpened. It is the wet stone of the Seven/Eight
Habits. It is Habit Zer0.)
(HABIT SEVEN is the boot strap habit upon which all other habits are
lofted)
(We must always tune the violin before playing the notes)
Habit Seven is taking time to Sharpen the Saw. It surrounds the other habits
on the 'Seven Habits' paradigm because it is the habit that makes all the
other (habits) possible. Where do you get the TIME but by
prospective thinking where foreknowledge of certain events give one the
advance information to leverage the time and space to sharpen tools.
Futurlogics is the upward spiral that makes the tools that sharpens the
'saw'. It takes a tool to make a tool or sharpen a tool. Consider that
the mind is the ultimate tool to sharpen all other tools.
There is this claim in Futurlogics that is worth quoting at this point.
Futurlogics is a self-improvement book, as the subject of the
future lends itself to the technique used in that class of writing
currently published. The reader may find it helpful to view this work in the
same format as these to obtain the goals of the book. Most self-improvement
books are "now" oriented, formulated to improve status, prestige, and power.
Instead, we are to go ahead to the future, seeking success promised in these
other books will be easier and viable.
. . .
Positive mental attitudes--thinking big and self-improvement
programs--suggest that we are guided by our beliefs. Without understanding
the future we are in danger of losing the potential and latent
talents we possess. After all, the goals we choose come from our belief
in what the future might be. Understanding the future and mastering
Futurlogics assists us in achieving our goals. To do this, we must think
big, be positive, and accept progress.
Stephen R. Covey "SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE" can be divided into
four general sections:
PRIVATE VICTORY (Character Building)(Principle Development)(Three Habits 1,2,3)
INTERPERSONAL VICTORY (Public Victory) (Three Habits 4,5,6)
SHARPENING THE TOOLS (Upward Spiral) (Habit 7)
MENTORING (Find own voice, help others find their voice) (Habit 8)
How does Futurlogics assist in building this 'Habit Paradigm'?
Private Victory is enhance at every level with Prospective Thinking or
Futurlogics the advance thinking model .
Interpersonal Victory There is no Public Victory without a Private
Victory
Sharpening The Tools Basis of the Victories Futurlogics
is the stone to sharpen the Tools to build the Principled Habits.
Mentoring The Eighth Habit of helping other to find their voice after
one find ones own voice. Greatness comes from helping others to be great.
Greatness comes from knowing what lies ahead and being in a position to
warn or guide others through the 'perils' and the good times also.
Even if you are not the rudder of the organization, you can be the trim-tab
of the rudder; but, remember a trim-tab moves opposite to the rudders
direction and this . . . can be seen as a disturbance and/or disobedience.
Four modes of human existence are covered as spirit, mind, body, heart and
these are positively manifest by modeling, pathfinding, aligning, empowering.
of these pathfinding (chapter 11 in the EIGHTH HABIT) is the least understood.
Quote from Futurlogics concerning the trim-tab theory:
Opposition to change is not always detrimental because it can be used as a pivot to effect changes that would not otherwise be possible. All change is met with oppositition and this principle cannot be escaped, so the best thing we can do is use the opposition to further produce the desired goal. This is where intelligence is a prime factor in preparing. Pure intelligence is a force with no opposition. Futurlogics could be of great assistence here as it is the visioning and common goal selection for your organizaition. It is seeing the future from the same perspective. If you have started with FUTURLOGICS then where do you go? One recommended direction is to go to the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. With the advent and advancement of the computer there is now time to do what man can do better than the machines and that is really think and make good decisions notwithstanding the singularity. The Brain is so flexible that it can have millions of thinking systems for every purpose. Man must really learn to think again. Perhaps children think the way we should and we need a reminder to get back to that natural thought process. Computers and computer modeling have given man time to think and the winner in the competition to come is in the ones who are thinking best! Top Management will be equal in software and data processing as the Software Companies unify, so the differences will be in the companys who can OUT THINK their market competitors. Computer process data. People process knowledge. Foreknowledge is leverage to change or protect the future! Go to Top |
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