Airmen get tips on strengthening families

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Close your eyes. Now point north.

If a speaker asks a large group of people to do that, many will end up pointing in different directions. Some even point straight up.

That was part of a brief exercise Stephen R. Covey took airmen through Wednesday morning during breakfast in a hangar at Hill Air Force Base.

Covey, an acclaimed speaker and author, spoke to a group of 300 during a local observance of the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast.

He said the men and women of Hill Air Force Base are especially in need of his message of how to strengthen families.

There are constant deployments, and families are uprooted, he said.

"Everything in life changes," he said.

So families need to find orientation, he said, just like someone trying to point to true north with his eyes closed without a compass.

Much of Covey's talk was derived from his best-selling book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families."

He said he planned to give those in attendance the beginning tools to take their families from survival mode to stability, success and significance.

And it all starts with a mission statement.

"Don't rush this process," Covey said.

A mission statement, which can be transformed and updated, is meant to guide the family and should describe where the family is going, what effect it should have, its value to society and its source of power.

"You may be off track most of the time," Covey told the group, adding that airmen know a pilot can get off course and still arrive on time if he receives constant feedback. "Don't worry about that. Keep getting feedback."

Families need to live, love, learn and leave a legacy, he said.

After establishing a mission statement, families need to learn how to communicate, starting with effective listening.

When family members learn how to effectively restate one another's points, they begin to develop synergy, and instead of solving problems, they avoid problems with creativity, Covey said.

A short film full of artistic images at the end of his talk concluded, "This is your life. Paint a bold picture. Make it a masterpiece. Sign your name."

The National Prayer Breakfast started in 1942 in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and has blossomed to nationwide events in which participants pray for the welfare of the United States and for its leaders.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com