During my first real-world job after college, I work at a Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronic components. This company has amazing work ethics and they value the training of their employees.
One training that I attended is all about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.
And I think, it’s a good idea to mash up this learning of mine with a technological touch. So if you haven’t read or heard about these great lessons, or you already knew it but wants a fresh and new angle of explanation, this blog post is for you!
Disclaimer: I didn’t mean to falsely identify every meaning of the book as mine, I’m just giving my own opinion and make it understandable in a programmers point of view. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is owned by Stephen R. Covey.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Technology is ever-moving, and so a programmer needs to be agile. As I always say as my motto, “Stagnation is a sin”. You can always learn something new. Take the initiative to develop your skills, and be proactive enough to make drastic changes in your programming life. If your boss tells you to do something difficult but possible, try not to discuss the difficult part, and try your best to deliver the possibilities – you’ll be amazed as how the universe will conspire to help you finish the task!
Habit 2: Begin With The End In Mind
This is very much applicable when coding. When you are solving an algorithm or developing a new system, it’s a very good practice to know what is the final output you wanted to achieve, instead of just shooting for possible outcomes. It should be a clear goal where you want to steer your program, and always look forward to the finish line – remember to add “Stop” to a flowchart!
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Do you know the 80/20 rule? It states that 80% of the result comes from the 20% task – thus the remaining 80% of the task were just a waste of time, effort and resources! So you should identify and refactor the code you are adding to the program, and just remove the excess line of codes that can be omitted. Focus on the 20% important codes, and you can get the 80% of the best result from there.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Think Win-Win all the time! If you think helping others is just a waste of your time because you have never gained anything in return, think again. Remember that what you sow is what you reap? So if ever a problem arouse and it will affect a great amount of people, try to compromise. Do what is best for all of the concerned parties.
Habit 5: Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood
Empathy, although not totally visible in our programming life, should be practiced. We as programmers tend to just invoke our “silence”, and didn’t matter if others are talking to us, especially when we are in the zone! Try to communicate more, understand more. If you just talk about yourself and doesn’t accept other’s opinion, say example your officemate showing you a refactored algorithm, try to understand his/her intention. This way you can manage more how to speak up your mind and try to be understood by others. And by understanding, you can gauge more efficient and provide sound response when you fully understand an issue.
Habit 6: Synergize
We are all a puzzle piece. If we can engage others in what we do, we can learn from them more than doing it alone. In programming, we can collaborate with other members, share and catch different perspective and harness individual powers. We should set aside our differences, and work on to use that harmoniously. As the saying goes, “Two heads are better than one!” Let’s volt in!
Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw
By applying the other six habits into one, and doing it consistently, you are practicing it to be your destiny. Also, go out and have a life! The world is a big place, try to go out of your “zone” and conquer new heights. You are not just a programmer, maybe you are a father like me, a son/daughter, or you are yet to find out your other purpose, instead of just typing syntax. Focus also in your health, so you can code more and debug more!
So that’s it folks! You got me to cover the 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey, and try to match it with our niche to have a deeper understanding. If you find these helpful don’t hesitate to write your thoughts in the comments section!
“And that’s one blog, stay hungry!”
“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are──or, as we are conditioned to see it.”
Stephen R. Covey
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