Prioritize!

Hailed by some of the most well-known business gurus in the industry as a clear and practical guide for any business or organization, I eagerly delved into the book, Prioritize!, by Joe Calhoun and Bruce Jeffrey. Actually, truth be told, the driving motivation behind my eagerness to read the book was due primarily to my personal friendship with one of the authors – Bruce Jeffrey. He has been a long-time friend of my parents and I’ve had the privilege of visiting with him over the years about a number of business-related topics. His understanding of the organization and operation of a business has always amazed me, and, having now read Prioritize!, I am thrilled to have in an easy-to-reference form the ideas and concepts he has shared with me in our conversations.

The comprehensive and well-organized layout of the Table of Contents is an excellent preview into the layout and substance of the rest of the book. The authors have mastered the art of communicating effectively and concisely. The short chapters make the book an easy-read; each chapter gets right to the point, adding helpful anecdotes and quotes where applicable. Although the Bible is never directly referenced, I noticed a number of Biblical principles underlying some of the points the authors made. Notably, toward the beginning of the book, the authors state,

“The most prosperous people we know—the ones who are overflowing in health, happiness, friends, strong families, as well as financially, are the ones who are consistently giving. They give their time, their talent, and their insights. They give encouragement, service, advice, and new ideas. They give and give and give, and their lives, as well as their businesses, overflow with prosperity.”

This reminded me of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:38,

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

A successful business is not one founded upon a desire to gain, but on a desire to give. From my own experience in a part of the professional business world, I can see how antithetical this is to the philosophies of many business-minded people. There is a desire to gain more by doing less for the customer/client. Instead, business owners ought to consider ways that they can offer customers/clients more for their investment.

While giving is an important foundational mindset in a business, it is obvious that a business must also make money if it is to be successful. Citing the widely applied 80/20 rule (20% of your clothes will be worn 80% of the time; 20% of your customers give you 80% of your headaches, etc.), the authors advocate utilizing this principle to determine what to eliminate or reduce. If 20% of your efforts generate 80% of your results, identify and then focus on the more profitable 20%.

The substance of the book is based on three practices that businesses should implement:
1. Clarify
2. Execute
3. Renew

The “Clarify” practice is applied to a business’ Vision, Mission, Values, Objectives, Strategies, and Priorities. The final result of this is a “One Page Strategic Plan” that clearly identifies each of the afore-mentioned areas as they relate to the specific business. A chapter is devoted to the explanation and application of each of these areas. I found it to be incredibly practical, not only as it relates to business, but to daily life as well. In particular, the definition of a priority as something that “focus[es] on results, not just activities” and that “begins with a verb, ends with a date, and has something measurable in between.”

The “Execute” practice offers advice on how to overcome the tendency of many businesses to “Clarify,” but then fail to do anything with the information. I especially appreciated this quote by John Foster Dulles,

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year!”

This section covered these areas:
* Tracking Progress
* Conducting Regular Progress Reviews
* Taking “Next Steps”
* Persisting

In this section, the authors share a “five part agenda that can lead to more effective meetings” that I found extremely useful. While not applicable to my business, as I operate independently, I hope to implement some of its ideas in other roles in which I currently serve.

Another practical and measurable means to ensure that things that need to be done don’t slip through the cracks is given in the description of Taking “Next Steps” as identifying WHO is going to do WHAT by WHEN.

The final section of “Renewal” is built on the acronym:
S=Significance
P=Passion
I=Insights
R=Rejuvenation
I=Innovation
T=Top 5 Priorities

The authors advocate that “Renewal” should take place approximately every 90 days to ensure that the entire business remains current (takes into consideration numerous factors within and without so that the purpose, direction and processes of the company are still relevant and effective) and “on the same page” (everyone understands the direction of the business and is executing their responsibilities effectively and excellently).

The authors conclude with an exhortation to their readers to make their own unique contribution, defined as “the giving of yourself, your talents, insights, and resources in all areas of your life.”

While the ideas contained in Prioritize!, will find varying levels of applicability for different business, I can almost guarantee that anyone who reads it (business owner or not) will come away having gained little nuggets of sound advice that will be useful in both business practices and life in general.