By the time he was 39 years old, John D. Rockefeller was the richest man in the U. S. and controlled more than 90% of the world’s oil flow. Want to know the secret to his success? He understood the power of focused and disciplined behavior.
Rockefeller understood that priorities were essential for maintaining focus. He knew that he must always know and understand what his most impactful goals were for the week, month, quarter, year, and beyond. He met with his executive team on a daily basis. His team understood that their strategic priorities were their most important work and they developed the discipline necessary to successfully execute. They cultivated actionable focus!
If everything is important, then nothing is important. Companies have to regularly set and reset their priorities, knowing what number one is and the top three to five at any given point in time. Once the company top priorities are set, each executive with the help of his/her team should set his/her functional area’s top three to five to support the company. Finally, each individual should establish his/her top three to five priorities to support the department’s priorities.
Once priorities are established, the next step is to execute and drive results. Simply put, all the good ideas in the world are worth little without people who execute on the good ideas and get them done. Priorities set you free…empower employees to do their jobs…inspire them to achieve results…require you to manage less!
Reminders of simple, practical disciplines for leaders who strive to build great organizations.
