Put First Things First

Things which matters most must never be at the mercy of things which matters least - Goethe.

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Lately, I have been reading a popular management book. Written by Stephen R. Covey, the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" was a gift from Jim. Some books, such as this, simply can't be speed read - you need time to digest and reflect on what you have read. Moreover, the hectic pace of life in Singapore is such that I can only managed a chapter a week.

photo: clarke quay, s'pore

I am now at Habit 3: "Put First Things First", which is essentially on setting priorities, managing time, and differentiating "urgent" from "important". Given my real estate background, I was interested to hear Covey's consulting experience with a group of shopping center managers. He posed to them the following question:

"If you were to do one thing in your professional work that you know would have enormously positive effects on the results, what would it be?"

Their unanimous response was to build helpful personal relationships with the tenants, the owners of the stores inside the shopping center. However, when they analysed the time they were spending on that activity, it was less than 5%. But they had good reasons - "problems, one right after another. They had reports to make out, meetings to go, correspondence to answer, phone calls to make, constant interruptions. They were spending very little time with the store managers, and the time they did spend was filled with negative energy." .

photo: VivoCity, Singapore

In fact, the only reason they visited the store managers at all was to enforce the contract - to collect money or discuss advertising or other practices that were out of harmony with center guidelines, or some similar things. The tenants, on the other hand, didn't even want to see the shopping center owners; they were just one more problem to contend with...

"The store managers were struggling for survival, let alone prosperity. They had employment problems, cost problems, inventory problems, and a host of other problems. Most of them had no training in management at all. Some were fairly good merchandisers, but they needed help." .

photo: a mall near home & church
Reexamining their purpose, values, and priorities, the group of shopping center managers decided to be proactive. They target to spend about 1/3 of their time in "helping relationships" with the tenants.
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In about a year and a half, the effect was dramatic, profound... the numbers went up, the tenants were thrilled with the results created by new ideas and skills, and the shopping center managers were most effective and satisfied and increased their list of potential tenants and lease revenue based on increased sales by the tenant stores. They have changed their role - they became listeners, trainers, consultants to the tenants. They were no longer policemen or hovering supervisors. They were problem solvers, helpers and their interchanges were filled with positive energy.

... NOW TAKE JUST A MOMENT to write down a short answer to the following two questions:
Q1: What one thing could you do (you aren't doing now) that if you do on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life? .

Q2: What one thing in your business or professional life would bring similar results?

.....

spiritual: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ... all these things, your heavenly Father knows that you need them" - Matthew 6:25, 27, 33.

photo: Harvesting apple, State College (2007).

.Source: S.R. Covey (1989) "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"