By Dr. John and Jane Covey

Each new school year brings opportunities for academic growth and growth in all areas of development. Although children must be knowledgeable when they graduate, they must also be healthy, engaged, responsible, and caring people.

Leader in Me provides your school with the vision and language to lead the school in a way that addresses all areas of development. As each child discovers and develops his or her unique gifts and talents, they are given opportunities to lead. As leaders, they become active, engaged partners in their own education and their self-confidence, responsibility, and initiative grows. The children quickly understand the benefits of different gifts and talents; they learn to listen to new ideas, work together to achieve results, and motivate one another to be the best.

We hope your school enjoys sharing these new opportunities. Together, you will watch each and every child grow throughout the year.

Habit #1 Be Proactive  

Be Proactive means to take responsibility for your choices and behaviors. Habit 1 is the key to all of the other habits; that’s why it comes first. Be Proactive means, “I am in charge of my own life. I am responsible for whether I am happy or sad. I can choose how I react to other people or situations. I am in the driver’s seat before they decide what to do".  

Habit #2 Begin With the End in Mind 

Begin with the  End in Mind means to think about how you would like something to turn out before you get started. Reading a recipe before cooking or looking at a map before leaving on a trip is beginning with the end in mind. 

Habit # 3 Put First things First 

Put First Things First means to decide what is most important and to take care of that first. Thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow or by the end of the week can be overwhelming, especially for children. Learning to think of which things are the most important and taking care of them first allows children (and adults) to be less stressed.  

Habit #4 Think Win Win 

Think Win-Win is the belief that everyone can win. It’s not me or you—it is both of us. It is a belief that there are enough good things for everyone; it is an abundant way of thinking. Think Win-Win is being happy for others when good things happen to them. 

Habit #5 Seek First to Understand 

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood means that it is better to listen first and talk second. By taking the time to listen to another person, you reach a higher level of communication. Teaching Habit 5 to young children is done by first considering their age and development. Young children find it difficult to understand another’s paradigm (point of view). 

Habit #6 Synergize  

Synergize is when two or more people work together to create a better solution that either would have thought of alone. It’s not your way or my way, but a better way. Talk about the equation: 1 + 1 = 3 (or more). How is that possible? 1 person + another person = 2 ideas + many more than either of them would have thought of alone. Synergy is taking good ideas and making them better by working together.  

Habit #7 Sharpen The Saw 

Sharpen the Saw means to have balance in your life. There is a story of a man who was sawing down a tree and not making a lot of progress. When a passerby asked him why he didn’t stop sawing to sharpen his saw, he remarked that he was too busy sawing. Habit 7 reminds us that we are more productive when we are in balance—body, brain, heart and soul. Just like the four tires on a car, if one area is being ignored or overused, the rest will feel the results.  

Family Mission Statements
By Dr. John and Jane Covey

Mission statements have long been a part of organizations; they provide a clear path for what the organization wants to accomplish and how they plan to go about doing it. Yet, seldom does a family take the time to write a mission statement, and what organization is more important than the family? By establishing who you are as a family, how you want to be known, and how you plan to do it, you are practicing Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind®. The process is a great way to practice all of the 7 Habits.

Step 1
Ask yourself these seven questions:

1. How do we want our family to be known?
2. How do we want to treat each other?
3. What is most important to us as a family?
4. What are some of our talents, gifts, and abilities?
5. What makes us the happiest?
6. What makes us unhappy?
7. What kind of home do we want to invite friends to?

Step 2
Write your Family Mission Statement
Consider all four areas:

• Body (health and physical welfare)
• Brain (learning)
• Heart (relationships)
• Spirit (inspiration)

Keep it simple, one to two lines, so the youngest family members can memorize it and find it meaningful. Examples: “We are builders,” “No empty chairs,” “To serve others,” “All for one and one for all,” etc.

Step 3

Stay on course. As parents, you are the role models. Keep smiling and getting back on track.

The promise

By writing a Family Mission Statement, the message to your children is that your family is important—you know what you stand for and how you are going to work together to accomplish it.

Make your family mission statement