Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

(Joyce) #1

with each of my children. We find that the anticipation of the date is as satisfying
as the realization.
So I approached my daughter and said, “Honey, tonight's your night. What
do you want to do?”
“Oh, Dad, that's okay,” she replied
“No, really,” I said, “What would you like to do?”
“Well,” she finally said, “what I want to do, you don't really want to do.”
“Really, honey,” I said earnestly, “I want to do it. No matter what, it's your
choice.”
“I want to go see Star Wars,” she replied. “But I know you don't like Star
Wars. You slept through it before. You don't like these fantasy movies. That's
okay, Dad.”
“No, honey, if that's what you'd like to do, I'd like to do it.”
“Dad, don't worry about it. We don't always have to have this date.” She
paused and then added, “But you know why you don't like Star Wars? It's
because you don't understand the philosophy and training of a Jedi Knight.”
“What?”
“You know the things you teach, Dad? Those are the same things that go into
the training of a Jedi Knight.”
“Really? Let's go to Star Wars!”
And we did. She sat next me and gave me the paradigm. I became her
student, her learner. It was totally fascinating. I could begin to see out of a new
paradigm the whole way a Jedi Knight's basic philosophy in training is
manifested in different circumstances.
That experience was not a planned P experience; it was the serendipitous
fruit of a PC investment. It was bonding and very satisfying. But we enjoyed
golden eggs, too, as the goose -- the quality of the relationship -- was
significantly fed.
Organizational PC
One of the immensely valuable aspects of any correct principle is that it is
valid and applicable in a wide variety of circumstances. Throughout this book, I
would like to share with you some of the ways in which these principles apply to
organizations, including families, as well as to individuals.
When people fail to respect the P/PC Balance in their use of physical assets
in organizations, they decrease organizational effectiveness and often leave
others with dying geese.
For example, a person in charge of a physical asset, such as a machine, may
be eager to make a good impression on his superiors. Perhaps the company is in
a rapid growth stage and promotions are coming fast. So he produces at optimum

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