Stephen Covey Quotes

The things that get rewarded, get done

Setting up a system that rewards you for meeting your goals and has penalties for failing to hit your target is just as important as putting your goals down on paper.

If the practices and processes inside a company don't drive the execution of values, then people don't get it. The question is, do you create a culture of behavior and action that really demonstrates those values and a reward system for those who adhere to them?

You get what you reward. Be clear about what you want to get and systematically reward it.

A lot of companies have nice-sounding cultural values like integrity, respect, and excellence, but if those values don't map to specific behaviors, then they quickly get lost. Instead, we see what's called a 'halo effect' where leaders tend to overvalue certain attributes and undervalue others.

A positive, high-performance culture can quickly turn negative if the CEO is not rigorous in constantly articulating values and holding people accountable for both results and values.

Goals may cause systematic problems for organizations due to narrowed focus, unethical behavior, increased risk taking, decreased cooperation, and decreased intrinsic motivation. Use care when applying goals in your organization.

Success is the continuing achievement of becoming the person God wants you to be and accomplishing the goals God has helped you set.

Knowledge and know-how are the real sources of value and riches. You can learn anything you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself.

To achieve goals you've never achieved before, you need to start doing things you've never done before.

Goal setting is fine if you want to be the warrior archetype.

The great breakthrough in your life comes when you realize that you can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal that you set for yourself. This means there are no limits on what you can be, have or do.

If kids clearly see the promise, they will gladly pay the price.

I want to be good at what I do, obviously, and to do that I need to keep my head straight.

The rewards system is a powerful driver of behavior and therefore culture.

You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live

Reinforce what you want to see repeated.What gets rewarded gets done.

Be clear about what you want to accomplish, and whether the circumstances surrounding you are actively helping you toward the goal.

If you want people to perform better, you reward them, right? Bonuses, commissions, their own reality show. Incentivize them. [...] But that's not happening here. You've got an incentive designed to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, and it does just the opposite. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity.

Like anything, you just need to stay true to who you are and hope that social constructs don't get in the way of accomplishing your goals.

Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?

Once you get in shape, you'll be amazed at how many other goals you'll want to achieve in your life. Fitness breeds enthusiasm.

I had something to do, which most kids really need. Something they can look forward to - a goal, a purpose to work towards. Something to achieve. Keeps them out of trouble.

When people are inspired, they don't need motivation.

You can't reward people who don't want to work with more money than they would make while they were working.