Stephen Covey passed away last week after an illustrious career as a writer, speaker, and teacher. It led me to pull out my copy of the book that I was given by one of my first managers. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was published in 1989 and sold over 25 million copies, and is one of the best-selling self-help/business books of all time. It well deserves that praise.
As I revisit the book and consider how it relates to our team and the entire One Columbus strategy, I think we’re applying these principles well, but need to work on a few of them much more diligently. I also have to laugh, because many of the phrases Mr. Covey made popular (and have become annoying) are now so ingrained in management vocabulary – see “synergy.”
1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win/Win
5. See First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw
As we move through this week, these seven principles are worth thinking about and applying to our everyday efforts. If you help to lead a community and/or an economic development organization – are these principles being applied to your strategy?
One Columbus Update
Our team helped to celebrate the grand opening of Parker Hannifin’s new Hybrid Drive Systems division. The squeaky clean facility was full of refuse trucks and UPS delivery vehicles that offered a glimpse of the great technology Parker has developed and is delivering to customers. Thank you to Don Washkewicz, the chairman, CEO and president of Parker Hannifin for visiting Columbus. Thank you also to the City of Columbus, Franklin County, JobsOhio, and the Ohio Development Services Agency for their help securing the investment within the Columbus Region. If anyone needed a reminder that manufacturing is the beating heart of innovation – please visit Parker’s website.
Our team is in China this week, so please keep up with @cbusintlbiz on Twitter. Deborah Scherer and Matt McCollister have a jam-packed schedule for the next week and are spreading the word about Columbus all over the world.
Our team visited the InBev – Anheuser Busch plant last week, and was once again blown away by dedication that the company has to its workers and the community. The contributions they make to the community and the hundreds of jobs they have created here in Columbus add a lot to the Columbus Region.
-Kenny McDonald