Stephen Covey's fourth generation approach to time management is unique and transformative compared to the first three time management approaches, which remind us to plan , prepare for, prioritize and control the “stuff” in our lives. The fourth generation allows a person to “move beyond time management to life leadership…to paradigms based on creating quality of life outcomes” (31). It puts “people before programs, compasses before clocks… they lead lives full of meaning and contribution… they live, love, and leave a legacy with balance and joy” (73). It provides a “theory and tools that will enable us to use our gifts to meet our basic needs and abilities in a balanced and principle-centered way” (73), and provides us with the “ability to develop and use our inner compass in so that we can act with integrity in the moment of choice” (74). The fourth generation paradigm puts “people first and things second.” First is leadership, then management. First is effectiveness, then efficiency. First the purpose, then the structure. First is the vision, then the method” (206). In essence, it allows a person to position goals and roles as a controlling element of the system and prioritizes importance over urgency. The fourth generation approach is truly transformative because it allows a person to use the four interdependent gifts (self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination) to “exercise an effective and synergistic interdependence” that “will allow us to take time, energy and human creativity that is typically wasted in Quadrant I crises and unimportant Quadrant III activities, and combine it in ways that create entirely new dimensions of effectiveness” (210). The “golden rule” for creating a win-win philosophy is... .middle of the document ......consider all stakeholders and the four human needs are essential to transforming the quality of our lives. As the shared vision is built, we will become more aware of the “value of synergistic roles and goals” (222). The key to synergizing these roles and objectives is in the creation of stewardship agreements. The key to an effective interdependent effort is what Covey calls “win-win stewardship arrangements” (223). These agreements are built by collaborating on five elements: desired outcomes, guidelines, resources, responsibilities and consequences. By clarifying how these elements influence teams' roles, appropriate expectations can be established, which will go a long way in reducing frustrations and contributing to the quality of life for everyone involved. Works CitedCovey, Stephen R.; Roger A. Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill. First things first. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Print