In today’s busy world where your career can swallow up your time and your very life it is increasingly important to focus on the “Vital Few” and Ignore or Delegate the “Trivial Many”—a model for leadership that’s based on the Pareto Principle. The Pareto Principle is commonly known as the “80/20 Rule.” Simply put it is the 20 percent of activities that drive 80 percent of results. In my firm’s 56 years of experience, we’ve learned that individuals who do this well accelerate their performance and advance their careers without sacrificing the other important aspects of their professional and personal life. Here are three ways to do that:
Focus on the “Vital Few.” The “Vital Few” are those things that will make you successful in your job, specifically the activities that are directly tied to achieving your goals. For example, if you are responsible for managing a team’s performance, when you are directly involved in doing this activity, you are focused on the Vital Few. This might sound simple, but leaders and managers really struggle here. In today’s professional world, it’s easy to get distracted and spend entire days without focusing on what really matters. When people fall into this trap, they waste precious time that could be better used in other important areas of their life.
Deal effectively with the “Trivial Many.” In regard to all those responsibilities and activities that don’t support your Vital Few, you’ve basically got two options:
- Delegate to others what’s not vital for you, which enables these employees to take on added, often empowering new roles, skills for them, etc.; and
- Use a “To-Stop” list, putting an end to whatever fails to align with your vision and Vital Goals.
Commit to daily accountability. Put what matters on your radar daily—then charge ahead and do it. When challenged by distractions or new directions, ask yourself, “Does this support my Vital Few?” If not, make choices that will get you back on track and always assess how well you did at the end of the day, planning for corrective actions where necessary. Practice this habit until it becomes second nature. Your success here can make or break your ability to become a Disciplined Leader.
