The End of the Year - A Time to Reflect on Priorities

Leaders never get to a point where they no longer need to prioritize. It’s something that good leaders keep doing whether they’re leading a project, pastoring a church, leading a small business, or heading up a multi-billion dollar corporation. A leader who suddenly realizes that he has been focused on the wrong set of priorities is like the native who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, “Wrong jungle!” There are two principles that can help you measure your activity and determine your priorities. The first one is called the Pareto Principle and the second is the Three Rs. If you focus your attention on the activities that rank in the top 20% in terms of importance, you will likely get an 80% return on your investment. For example, if you have 100 customers, the top 20 will likely provide you with 80% of your business. If your to-do list has 10 items on it, the 2 most important ones will likely give you an 80% return on your time. And if you have 10 employees, you should give 80% of your time and attention to the 2 that have the greatest future potential. If you haven’t already observed this phenomenon, test it, and you’ll see that it really works out. The second principle is the Three Rs. The Three Rs are requirement, return, and reward. To be effective, leaders must order their lives according to three questions: 1. What is Required? We are all accountable to somebody – an employer, a board of directors, our stockholders, or someone else. For that reason, your list of priorities must always begin with what is required of you (your superior’s priorities that you must support). Anything that is not necessary for you to do personally should be delegated of eliminated. 2. What Gives the Greatest Return? As a leader, you should spend most of your time working in your areas of strength. If something can be done 80% as well by someone else in your organization, delegate it. If a responsibility could potentially meet that standard, then develop a person with the remaining 20% to handle it. 3. What Brings the Greatest Reward? It has been said, “There are many things that may catch the eye of a leader, but there should only be a few things that catch his heart.” The things that bring the greatest personal reward are the fire lighters in a leader’s life. Nothing energizes a person the ways passion does. Is it time for you to reflect on your priorities this past year? Is it time for a change of priorities as you begin to set your goals and make plans for the coming year? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/