In 1989, Stephen R. Covey released The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Since its release, the book has sold tens of millions of copies and won countless awards. The book is a detailed outline of habits and activities that Covey asserts catalyze and sustain meaningful personal and professional change. In spite of the fact that the book was published 37 years ago, it continues to permeate the zeitgeist, inviting both criticism and praise.
In my experience, I found the seven habits to be quite intuitive – be proactive, work backwards, prioritize wisely, cultivate a win/win culture, think before you speak, collaborate with others, and continuously improve. Critics rightly point out that none of these is particularly new. But, what the critics often miss is the foundation upon which Covey developed the habits – a distinction between the "personality ethic" and the "character ethic."
The Cult of Personality
In the wide world of self-help tomes, Covey's reach with The Seven Habits is only surpassed by Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends & Influence People. The title of the book clearly communicates its content – leverage social skills, communication styles, personality traits, politics, and people-oriented hacks to get what you want. This is what Covey would call the "personality ethic."
It won't take long for you to see Carnegie's method in action. Simply look inside your own business. You will almost certainly find leaders who are highly effective politicians, shaping conversations and driving outcomes using their personality traits. To be clear, I am a fan of Carnegie's work, which contains practical tools that can be leveraged to build productive relationships. But, personalities aren't durable. They don't scale.
A department can rally around a dynamic leader and achieve great results. But, when the leader moves on, they often don't leave behind a lasting culture. Why is that?
Principles Outlast Personality
While Carnegie's book does a fantastic job of signaling its message via the title, Covey's really doesn't. The title feels like Buzzfeed clickbait, which is a shame. Underpinning the seven habits is an assertion that character and culture are more effective and sustainable than personal influence.
Covey gives a blueprint for principle-driven change, not influence. From his perspective, character and principles are the foundation upon which change can be built. Core values like humility, justice, courage, and integrity are deep, lasting catalysts. The personality ethic, on the other hand, says that success is "a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction."
In short? The Personality Ethic looks outward, focusing on influence, while the Character Ethic looks inward, focusing on foundational principles.
Effectiveness Mixology
The Personality Ethic and The Character Ethic are complementary, not contradictory. Your principles and culture represent your north star. Your influence enables execution. The combination of these two is a powerful cocktail for enduring effectiveness.
Have you experienced the Character Ethic and/or the Personality Ethic in your business? What was your experience?
