Organizational Applications in

the Legal Environment

(A Look at the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

By
John Besselman
 Foundational Support
• Character vs. Personality Ethic (schools)
• Power of the Paradigm
• Habit Formation
• Maturity Continuum
• P/PC formula
 Character vs. Personality
(Schools of Thought on Leadership)

 Character school of thought rests on traits and

values of person.

 Personality school of thought arose right after

WWI and continues, to a degree, today.
Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friends and Influence People” model

 Covey adopts wholly the Character School of

Though (though sees the occasional utility in
Personality-derived tools for short-term gain).
Personality
Traits

Character
Traits
(based on principles)
 Power of the Paradigm
• “Seasoned Woman” vs. Young Woman
drawing
 Habit Formation

Habit Creation Knowledg

e

Skill Desire
 Maturity
Continuum

Interdependence
“We do it.”

Independence
“I do it.”

Dependence
“You do it.”
P/PC Formula

P roduction

/
PC
Three Assets

1)Physical

2)Financial

3)Human
 Interdependence

5 6
Public
Victory

4
Independence

Private
Victory

1 2
Dependence
 Habit One – Be Proactive

• Are we subject to our conditions?

(1) Genetic - ancestral control

(2) Psychic – mental control
(3) Environmental – product of our surroundings
 Victor Frankl Story

Our Input
This is the area we
can control.
Stimulus
“Stuff
Happens”

Response
 Proactive Model
(Act or be Acted Upon)

Reactive Statement Proactive Statement

There is nothing I can do. I have not practical
alternative.

I can’t do that. I won’t do that.

I have to do that. I decided to do that.

How often do we communicate to our

client (or other) in a reactive way?

Do we have to?
Personal
Arena Circle of Concern
New Boss
Health

Pending
Legislation Circle of Hobbies

Relationships Influence Promotions

Vacations
Trust Issues Professional
with the Client Arena
Circle of Concern

Circle of
Influence
 Circle of Concern

Pending
Legislation
Relationships

New Boss
Health
Hobbies

Circle of Influence
Trust Issues
with the Client

Vacations
Promotions
 Proactive Steps
(Expand Your Circle of Influence)

• The “Haves” and the “Bes”

ve
Rea c ti t
IfT thectiproblem
ve
is “out there” r
the
oa
u
thought
g h is the
hou P ho
problem.
ght T

“Things will be better when I have a big house.”

“I can be more thrifty with my expenditures.”

 Proactive Steps
(Expand Your Circle of Influence)

• The Other End of the Stick

– Consequences Do we “own” our mistakes and
shortcomings with our clients?
– Mistakes
How easy is this to do?
• Making and Keeping Commitments
– Be a light, not a judge Does your client think of
– Be a model, not a critic you as a critic?
– Be part of the solution, not part of the problem
 Habit Two – Begin with the End in Mind

• How do you want to be regarded by those

attending your retirement (or funeral)?

– All things are created twice (mentally then physically)

 ? -Centered Life
What have you centered
your life on?

Spouse, work, money,

social functions, self,
family, pleasure, friend-
enemy, etc.
? -Centered Life
 Wisdom

Security Guidance

Power
 Wisdom

Security Guidance
Principles

Power
Your Paradigm –
or how you view
the world. Wisdom

Security Guidance
Principles

Power
Principles
Paradigm

Mission
Statement
Habit Three – Put First Things First
Habit One puts the actor in charge
Habit Two begins the creation (mental)
Habit Three continues the creation
(physical)
This is the day-to-day, moment-to-
moment doing it
 Time Management
• Where we spend out time tells us about our
priorities

• We should use our goals and priorities to

schedule our time

• Caution – time should be managed in week

chunks instead of daily chunks to allow for
variance
 Urgent Not Urgent

Important
I II

III IV
Not Important
 Quadrant I (Crisis)
Pressing Problems
Urgent and
Important
Critical Deadlines

Catastrophe Too Much Time =

Stress and Burnout
 Urgent Not Urgent

Important
I II

III IV
Not Important
 Quadrant IV (Trivia)
Busy work
Not Urgent and
Some mail Not Important

Some phone calls Too Much Time =

Irresponsible
Management

Pleasant Activities
 Urgent Not Urgent

Important
I II

III IV
Not Important
 Quadrant III (Interruptions)
Some mail

Some phone calls

Not Urgent but
Important

Some meetings
Too Much Time =
Short Term Focus

Some reports
 Urgent Not Urgent

Important
I II

III IV
Not Important
 Quadrant II (Prevention)
PC Activities
Not Urgent
but Important

Relationship Building

Planning

Recreation
 Quad II Activities
 Covey states this is where our mission statement has
the greatest impact

 Do not be “problem-minded” but rather,

“opportunity-minded”

 Learn to say “No” – move all available time into

Quadrant II activities

 Quadrant II activities are planned

 Planning Quad II Activities
Plan for a “people” dimension

Effective vs. Efficient – our relationships with

persons are gauged by effectiveness, not
efficiency

Plans require flexibility

Schedule tool is a servant, not a master

 Getting Started
(1) Identify your roles (spouse, parent, partner,
lawyer, leader, supporter, etc.)

(2) Choose Goals for the Roles (at least some

of these goals should reflect Quad II activities)

(3) Schedule What can you do

in the next 15
minutes?
(4) Daily Adapting
 Be Proactive

Begin With the End in Mind

Private Victories

Put First Things First

 Public Victory
• Success with ourselves (or within our
own organizations) before we can have
lasting successes with others

• Mastery over ourselves (Habits 1, 2 and

3) leads to independence

• Public victories lead to interdependence

 Emotional Bank Accounts
• Relating with other persons requires that we
have some common ground to exchange with
them, or emotional bank accounts

• One spends out of his or her account by being

discourteous, dishonest, distrustful, cutting
people off, ignoring people, arbitrary actions,
betraying trust, or threatening
 Bankrupt Account
Lack of trust leaves an organization that is
filled with measured words
Tension is high
MFRs are plentiful
Politicking
Flexibility is gone
Goleman and Co. would call this a dissonant
organization (Primal Leadership)
 Habit Four – Think Win-Win
Based on work of Getting to Yes
by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Many people/organizations see

world through a competition
paradigm

Employees do what gets counted

 6 Possible Outcomes
 Win-Win: mutually  Lose-Lose: revenge
beneficial driven

 Win-Lose: only one  Win: winning party does

party gets what they not care what others
want want

 Lose-Win: capitulation  Win-Win or No Deal:

(think Neville mutually beneficial or
Chamberlain) we seek elsewhere
 Relationships Win-Win
Agreements

1. Integrity
2. Maturity
3. Abundance

Mentality
 Precursors to Win-Win
(in the organizational setting)

Trust
Abundance Mentality
Organizational Rewards Win-Win
Visible Rewards
Commitment from the Entire
Organization – training, planning,
communications, etc.
Abundance Mentality

• There is enough for everybody

• As opposed to the Scarcity Mentality
• Share credit, power and profit
• Does your worth come from comparative
value?
• Those involved in Abundance Mentality are
excellent teammates
 Relational Trust

High Emotional Bank Account needed

Respect is a natural bi-product
Differences can be effectively
communicated
This can lead to a greater number of
alternatives for solutions (Win-Win)
Habit Five – Seek First to Understand, Then to
be Understood

 This habit requires diagnosis (to understand)

 Diagnosis requires effective listening
 We spend years learning how to read, write
and speak, but not how to listen
 “Intent to reply” is how most of us listen
(formulating a response while the other
person is speaking)
 This is listening through our own paradigm
 “Empathic Listening”
Listening with the intent to understand

Professionals need to understand the needs,

concerns and situation before recommending
a course of action…this requires empathic
listening

4 levels of competencies
 4 Level of Competency
a) Mimic Content

b) Rephrase the Content

c) Reflect the Feeling

d) Rephrase the Content & Reflect the Feeling

 Paradigm Check Point
 Pre-existing prejudices (young woman vs. old woman
in picture)

 I’m spouse-centric while you are work-centric

 I am of the Scarce Mentality and you are of the

Abundance Mentality

 I am Right Brain holistic while you are Left Brain

analytical
 Habit Six – Synergize
• Synergy = the whole is greater than the
parts, or the real definition of a team

• Trust is an indispensable element

• Diversity of viewpoint is an indispensable

element
 Competition Paradigm
• Too many adopt the win-lose outlook

• Can you identify internal competitions in your

agency?

• Are you ever in competition with your client?

 Trust Issues
• Low Trust Environment is a defensive
environment

• CYA, MFR, email follow-ups and stilted

conversations

• Communication is curtailed
 From “Speed of Trust”
“When leaders fundamentally don’t believe
people can be trusted, they create a system
and structures that reflect that belief, such as
hierarchy, multiple layers of management, and
cumbersome processes.”

-Stephen M.R. Covey-

Driving Forces

Personal
Inspiration
Book We
Initiative
FromFriends
the Are
Top
Just Read To
Boss Said
GoingDotoItHelp Restraining Forces

Q. Where does your office sit?

Q. What role does it play in overcoming the obstacle?

 Diversify
 Value differences in the environment
 No team made up of just punters
 Every NFL team has a punter
 Every NFL team has a place kicker
 Some NFL teams have a kick-off kicker

Why?
Habit 7 – Sharpening the Saw
Four Dimensions of Renewal

Physical

Nutrition
Mental Spiritual
&
Exercise
Quad II
Social/Emotional Activity
Four Dimensions of Renewal

Physical
Habit Two: Begin with the End in Mind

Serving others leads to centered-existence

Mental Spiritual

Social/Emotional
Four Dimensions of Renewal

Physical

Challenge
Mental Spiritual
your mind!

Social/Emotional
Four Dimensions of Renewal
1 Hour a Day
Physical

Emotional
Intellectual
Mental Domain
Domain
Spiritual

Social/Emotional
Four Dimensions of Renewal

Physical

Mental Spiritual

Social/Emotional
 Four Dimensions of Renewal
Habits 4, 5 and 6 Are Emotional-centric

Habit 4: Think Physical

Win-Win
Our social and
Habit 5: Seek emotional
First to
Understand renewal comes
Mental Habit 6: Spiritual
from living our
Synergize
values every
day.
Social/Emotional
 Organizational Renewal
Physical renewal is typically financial but can also
include employee wellness programs

Spiritual renewal can include re-inspiration of the

employee to engage the agency mission

Mental renewal is the opportunity to take on news

challenges and training

Social-emotional renewal is dependent on the

employees’ sense of justice
Concluding
Thoughts