In a quest to develop the skills of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and National Guard Health Affairs employees, the Department of Training and Development organized a training course entitled “7 Habits of Highly Effective People", presented by Frank McGovern in the Dr. Sameer bin Huraib Auditorium - King Abdulaziz Medical City on Sunday, 11th October 2009.
McGovern then addressed the second habit, which is to "Begin with the End in Mind" citing examples including what he wants people to remember of him when he passes away.
Thirdly, he talked about the next habit “Put First Things First", explaining that all habits are related and are the stimulus to move you from being dependent to independent.
After that, he talked about the remaining habits including the “Think Win/Win” principles of Mutual Benefit, “Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood”, mentioning the bad habit that some have with nodding in understanding when in fact, they did not understand. He then continued with the principles "team work", encouraging working together. Finally, he talked about the last habit, “Sharpen the Saw” which deals with principles of balanced self-renewal and the need to harness the energy of body, mind and spirit. He stressed out that these elements are connected and that if one is off balance then it will affect the rest. McGovern made a link between the last four habits and their role in transforming the person from self-reliance to a stage of interdependence: "We are working together and the outcome of group work will be greater than the total output of one person."
The course witnessed a significant interaction between the audience, some linked these habits to Islam and Muslims and some linked it to integrity and ethics around the world. They also participated by answering some of the questions McGovern raised.
The course is based on a popular self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey, published in 1989 and translated into 38 languages.