The word habit can sound small, like brushing your teeth or checking your emails. But these aren’t ordinary habits.

Covey’s 7 Habits are fundamental principles of effectiveness: behaviours and mindsets that change how you think, how you act, and how you lead. They chart a journey of growth that applies to every manager, at any stage of their career:

• From dependence – needing to be told what to do…

• To independence – being proactive, clear on your priorities, and capable of leading yourself…

• To interdependence – building trust, collaboration, and synergy with others to achieve more together than you ever could alone.

This is the path from team member → manager → leader.

The first three habits create the Private Victory: mastering yourself.

The next three create the Public Victory: leading others with trust and collaboration.

And the final habit, sharpening the saw, sustains growth and resilience for the long term.

Every day, SME managers are asked to:

• Keep the business running smoothly while handling endless interruptions

• Juggle operational, project, and people responsibilities, often without formal training

• Deal with performance and wellbeing issues they don’t feel equipped for

• Motivate teams through change, uncertainty, and growth pressures

• Make time for what matters most – but constantly get dragged back into the urgent

Without the right principles to guide them, managers stay stuck in firefighting and reactivity – never able to step up into the role of true leader.

This two-day workshop adapts Covey’s world-famous framework for the reality of SME life. It gives managers not just inspiration, but the tools, language, and confidence to lead with clarity and purpose.

Participants will:

• Learn how to prioritise effectively and stop living in firefighting mode

• Gain practical tools to delegate, coach, and have tough conversations

• Develop a proactive, solution-focused mindset that inspires trust

• Build habits that create stronger, more resilient teams

• Leave with a personal action plan and workbook tailored to their role

• Habit 1: Be Proactive – Shift from reactive firefighting to taking ownership.

  Tool: Circle of Influence

• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – Clarify priorities and align daily work to business goals.

  Tool: Role Clarity Map

• Habit 3: Put First Things First – Balance urgent tasks with the truly important.

  Tool: Eisenhower Matrix

• Habit 4: Think Win-Win – Turn conflict into collaboration and build trust.

  Tool: Win-Win Agreement Canvas

• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood – Master the art of listening and giving feedback.

  Tools: Four Listening Levels, SBI Feedback Model

• Habit 6: Synergise – Unlock collaboration by valuing different strengths and styles.

  Tool: DiSC-based Collaboration Grid

• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw – Sustain performance and resilience through self-care and renewal.

  Tools: Energy Audit, Habit Reflection Planner

Unlike generic leadership programmes, this workshop is designed for the SME environment where managers don’t have layers of support, where time is short, and where every decision matters.

By combining timeless principles with simple, practical frameworks, managers gain habits they can apply the very next day. The result is confident leaders who free up owners, energise teams, and help businesses grow with less stress.

• Greater clarity, focus, and confidence

• A clear path from “doing the work” to “leading the team”

• Ability to handle performance and wellbeing issues

• Practical tools for leading through change and uncertainty

• Clearer direction and expectations

• Improved collaboration and trust

• More proactive problem-solving

• Owners freed from day-to-day firefighting

• Higher engagement and retention

• A stronger leadership pipeline for growth

Duration: 2 days, in-person workshop

• Includes: Interactive sessions, SME-specific workbook, practical tools, and personal action plan

• Optional add-on: Follow-up coaching / reflection sessions

• Group size: Ideal for cohorts of 8–16 managers for maximum impact

• SME managers and team leaders (new or experienced)

• Rising stars and “accidental managers” promoted without leadership training

• Business owners who want their managers to take more ownership and responsibility

Caswell Training has partnered with Hallidays HR – trusted advisors to growing SMEs – to ensure our workshops reach the managers who need them most.

By working together, we combine Hallidays’ deep understanding of their clients’ people challenges with our expertise in practical, SME-focused learning and development. The result: confident, capable managers who not only stay compliant, but drive their businesses forward.