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Are You Drunk with Possibilities?

Guest post by: David Carter

Article Overview: Every company I have worked with has developed their own methods for determining priorities. The problem is that most are not disciplined enough to limit their number of priorities. "Too many" generally equals "not accomplished."

Are You Drunk with Possibilities?

Leadership author, John Maxwell, says, "Thinking ahead and prioritizing responsibilities marks the major differences between a leader and a follower." As a leader, are you facing an ever-increasing list of actions you want to take to move your company forward - especially as we are experiencing different kinds of recovery in our economy? Since you don't want to miss the boat, do you become drunk with all the possibilities?

Can you state what your top three priorities are for the quarter, for the year, for the next several years? In reality, less is more. The more focused you are, the better you will leverage scarce company resources, and the more successful you will become.

The Pareto Principle

Most people have heard of the Pareto Principle, more commonly known as the 80/20 Rule. Roughly stated this says that in most businesses 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Other examples of the Pareto Principle are:

Reading: 20% contains 80% of the content
Job: 20% work gives 80% satisfaction
Products: 20% of products bring 80% of profits
Picnic: 20% of the people eat 80% of the food!

Priorities

Therefore, when it comes to your priorities, 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your results.

As a leader you must decide what your top (3-5 max) priorities are for any given time frame. Like genocide, homicide and suicide, DECIDE is about death ("cide). To DECIDE is to kill off alternatives leaving one option alive. And groups don't make decisions. Real decision-making comes down to one person-you.

Every company I have worked with has developed their own methods for determining priorities. The problem is that most are not disciplined enough to limit their number of priorities. "Too many" generally equals "not accomplished."

Your Priority Habits

If you can habitually answer "yes" to the following questions, your company is well on its way to being successful and leveraging the power of priorities.

1. Have you decided, chosen and ranked 3-5 priorities for the quarter (or year)?
2. Do you know what your top 1 priority is out of the 3-5?
3. Do all employees know these priorities, and can they report on their productivity compared to these priorities?

Answering "Yes" to those questions drives alignment within your company. And as Jim Collins states, "Your success is 1% vision and 99% alignment." So, don't be drunk with possibilities. Sober up!

DECIDE your priorities wisely. Your success is the sum total of all your decisions.

Contact David Paul Carter for help sobering up and establishing your top three priorities!

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Article Tags: David Paul Carter, habits, pareto principle, priorities



Related Forum Posts
Re: your personality type? - Hi Michelle! If you are the present-moment focused, this is your result. If it doesn't seem spot on, I'll give you the big-picture focused result. The Enjoyer of Life. You enthusiastically enjoy experiencing the five senses, creative pursuits and social harmony in the here-and-now. You are independent, socially upbeat, and enjoy creating a positive and happy atmosphere. Despite your outgoing “persona,” you are a private person and few people truly know you well). #1 Strength: Comfort Creator #2 Strength: Expressing Social Feeling 1) Comfort Creator -- Creating a comfortable physical environment. Feels the ?ve senses vividly. Adept at using objects, or ?nding or building objects, to make a physical space the most soothing to all ?ve senses. Also organizing so objects are easily found in a convenient way. Both the physical comfort of self, and others, is important. Often feel a need to ensure those close to them are warm enough, fed, rested, etc. Will easily offer help to others in these areas, lending a jacket, or offering a snack. 2) Expressing Social Feeling Setting an emotional tone, vibrant, energetic, or serious, etc. Concerned with the emotional environment as it?s happening -- the vibe of people at a party, the tone of a situation, other people?s responses. Setting the tone -- dramatic and serious, or lighthearted and a celebration. Emotional displays are important for knowing how others are feeling, whether bad or good. Someone talking in a monotone about feelings seems insincere. Feels should be shown, so they can be read by others. Your best type would be: The Conceptualizer. You are an inventive creator of logical systems of possibilities that you use to create processes, products or strategies. Socially, you are sometimes quiet, but also find yourself acting as the life of the party, especially when you get caught up in a debate or entertaining topic of conversation. #1 Strength: Generating Future Possibilities #2 Strength: Systematic/Rule Logic


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