“Pre-Habit” Work Part II

The sequential nature of the seven habits: The maturity continuum.

Low Maturity: Dependence

Dependence basically means that you need others to get what you want.  It is the attitude of “you”.  “You take are of me”…”You come through for me or you don’t come through for me”…”I blame you for the results”.  It is very “you” oriented.  Dependence means that you are not free from external influence.

Middle Maturity: Independence

Independence means you are pretty much free from external influence.  That is, the control and support of others.  You can get what you want from your own efforts.  Independence is the attitude of “I”.  “I can do it”…”I am responsible”…”I’m self-reliant”…”I can choose”

High Maturity: Interdependence

If people were interdependent they would think in terms of “we” because it is the basic approach of needing other people to accomplish with you what you desire.  Examples, a marriage, family, or an executive team.  “I want what you want and what we want together”…”We can cooperate” “We can combine our ability, skills, and best efforts to achieve what we want”

The important caveat for the maturity continuum is that until you and I are independent, we cannot be interdependent.  We cannot work together unless we have learned to work for ourselves.

If you take some quiet reflection, where do you find yourself on the maturity continuum?  Can you think of times when you or others acted ‘dependently’?  How did it affect effectiveness with people?  What do you think it will take to shift your paradigm to a higher level of maturity? 

Are you already working interdependently?  What experiences can you share?

Thanks