Difference Making Actions
Whew! It’s been a busy week and it is only Wednesday. There is no doubt that having too much to do can be stressful. Even if you are living the life of a retiree, there’s still a lot to do each day.
In preparing for one of our training sessions, I read the book, “The Trust Edge,” written by David Horsager. He talks about needing daily clarity in our lives. This daily clarity leads to accomplishing the most important things each day. In order to do this, he says we must establish Difference-Making Action Plans. This idea comes from Charles Schwab, the first American to be paid a $1million salary.
In the early 1900s Schwab was the president of Bethlehem Steel Company. The small steel company was struggling. A business consultant, Ivy lee, told Schwab that in 15 minutes he could share with Schwab’s managers a strategy t hat would double productivity. When Schwab inquired about the price for this help, Lee said, “After using it for six months, you can pay me what you think it’s worth.
Here’s what Ivy lee told Charles Schwab and his managers. “At the end of each day, write down the six most important things that need to get done the next day. Write only six, no more. Prioritize them, with one being the most important. In the morning start with number one until it is completed. Do not go to number 2 until number one is completed. When number one is completed, go on to number two until it is completed. If you get done with all of them, you can make a new list.
Only a few months had passed when Lee received a letter from the Bethlehem Steel Company. Inside the envelope was a check in the amount of $25,000 ($250,000 in today’s dollars) and a note from Schwab saying it was the most profitable he had ever learned.
So, today I am studying for a training session I am doing Thursday afternoon and I had a revelation. I am a list maker. What if on my Difference-making Action list I make number one, “Devotion and time with God.” It would get my day started off on the right track, I will have done what is most important, and set myself up to deal with the challenges that are ahead of me. I’m going to try it. Maybe it will work for you too.
Shine, Shine, Shine!
Tina