Make Your Priorities ROCK!

“Things that matter least should never be at the mercy of things that matter most.” -Goethe There is a presentation I've seen a few times at seminars that illustrate the point of this article. The presenter has a jar, rocks, sand and water. The challenge is to get all of the rocks, sand and water into the jar. Some folks start with water and add the sand and rocks; however, this method only spills the water out of the jar. Others start with the sand but fail to fit all the rocks successfully in the jar. The successful method is to put the big rocks in first, then add sand to fill in around the rocks and finish by adding the water. In the hierarchy of the experiment, the rocks represent the most important components followed by sand and water being the least important. If we properly apply principled priorities to guide our day to day decisions we are productive beyond measure. I've been guilty of looking at my day and making things that matter the least, matter the most; which leads to a day that will fall short of productive. In our EMPOWER model series the “O” is for ORGANIZE PRIORITIES. If you notice, this component of the model is in the middle and holds the balance in the EMPOWER model. Mastering principled priorities is the secret to successful personal leadership. Priorities are different for everyone, so it's a good idea to spend some time mediating and reflecting to identify priorities unique to your life. There are a few universal priorities that affect us all, health, relationships and spiritual development to name a few. When these, along with a few other universal priorities are fed and developed, our wholeness doesn’t starve.  Feeding wholeness in personal leadership should be a life long habit. No one ever finishes the task of wholeness because we will all die falling short. Working and feeding our priorities is like being a gardener; a true gardeners work is never done because as soon as the garden is picture-perfect, pulling weeds is eminent. We prune for perfection; however, who we become in the process is where the prize can be found. The quality of our personal leadership is rooted in how well we organize and work priorities. Things that matter the least can insidiously take over your day to day habits. Our personal leadership habits have to resist the seduction of putting things that matter the least in the place of things that matter the most. When we strengthen ORGANIZING PRIORITIES we increase our value personally and for all we influence. We develop a roadmap that will reveal pitfalls not seen by those who fail to organize priorities. There have been opportunities that on the surface were very appealing and gave the appearance of something valuable; however, because of my crystal clear vision of my priorities I was able to pass on the opportunity because it did not fit with my priorities. I know for a fact that if I did not have my big rocks identified I would have surely picked the opportunity that would have led to abandoning my priorities. This habit done chronically will lead to low productivity in things that matter. The meditation and preparation to identify the big rocks is not always popular but quality investment will pay dividends beyond your expectations. When empty activity rules and quality productivity suffers we can waste a lot of time compensating instead of using the time wisely to build. Time is our most valuable resource and everyone gets the same 24 hours a day. Big rock decisions makes the difference between life fulfilled and life unfilled. EMPOWERED leaders understand that as they master this principle, personally they can be a witness to their team  and receive maximum productivity from the team. A question I’m usually asked about this priority is “If we spend so much time in productivity how will I be able to enjoy life?”.  To answer the question:  I have found when I properly organize priorities and execute, I free up time to be spontaneous without guilt and a pressing task to come back to. Prioritize your finances and fund spontaneity. Prioritize your health and enjoy saving a ton on prescription medicines, hospital visits and use of sick time. Prioritize your spiritual well being and reap the benefits of inner peace, sharper mind, better decision making and better connectivity to the public we serve. Prioritize your relationships and create lasting meaningful bonds that help keep each of you sharp. Prioritize identifying value in each relationship so your associations are unstoppable when it comes to working together. Identify the common big rocks that can lead to moving mountains. ORGANIZING PRIORITIES takes practice and is not a technique or a quick fix. This principle requires consistent attention. Most cannot recognize principled priorities at first, but after time and meditation they will reveal themselves. A mature practice of this principle will create abundance in all of your tangibles and intangible resources. The number one problem expressed by many is, its hard enjoying a consistent good quality of life because of time and money. ORGANIZING PRIORITIES gives us an abundance of both. This leads to peace of mind which leads to a better spirit which leads to wholeness. EMPOWERED whole firefighters who master personal priorities are better for their professional roles. If more production of things that matter is important to you then don’t quit until the big rocks theory is part of your DNA. Remember our experiment? All elements matter (rocks, sand and water) but you control the quality and direction of your priorities. You ROCK and your life will ROCK when you ORGANIZE PRIORITIES.   --- Larry Conley is the president and lead instructor of Leadership Development Concepts, LLC. He travels the country to present his popular and compelling program, ZERO TO HERO Personal Leadership (Powered by GLUE). The concept of GLUE (Growing Leaders Using Empowerment) was born in the fire service, where Larry successfully juggles many leadership roles.   Larry’s initiative and creativity are put to work in his roles as: Captain of the St. Louis Fire Department (Truck 13C); President of the Parkway Gardens Neighborhood Improvement Association; Chief Instructor for the Highlander Fire Academy St. Louis Community College at Forest Park; Director at Large for the ISFSI (International Association of Fire Service Instructors); President of the Supervisory Committee and Board Member St. Louis Firefighters Credit Union; and Co-Chair of the Fire Education Subcommittee Missouri Community College Association.