Think About This

We are in a SIX-DAY Series on "Principle-Centered Planning" by Dr. John C. Maxwell

Today: Part FIVE of SIX

Principle-Centered Planning

"Seven Principles to Guide Your Planning Process
and Help you Achieve Your Dreams"
2) The Principle of Creativity
Of the seven planning principles, we violate the principle of creativity the most. By gravitating to concreteness, we sacrifice creativity. We settle for what's easy to wrap our minds around, and we neglect to wrestle with harder, more difficult dilemmas.

I'm convinced that leaders are too busy doing to think and provide ideas. Even the rare leaders who think creatively often neglect to encourage the people around them to do the same. Consequently, a majority of teams rely on one person for creative thought and end up starved for good ideas.

3) The Principle of Influence
When you prepare your plans, ask yourself the question, "Am I able to influence the resources needed to fulfill my planning and mission?" To accomplish your plan, you'll need influence over people, finances, and your schedule.

The support of people, especially other influencers, can make or break your plan. Make a priority to build relationships with them. In particular, find the key to their lives by learning what matters most to them. If you continually add value to the influencers around you in meaningful ways, then you'll be more likely to receive their assistance when you need it.

4) The Principle of Priorities
I'm amazed by the number of people who begin to plan their careers before taking the time to prioritize their lives. You have no right, nor any reason, to start planning your life until you know what you're living for and what you're willing to die for. It's important to find your purpose so that you run, not on the fast track, but on your track.

The key to a prioritized life is concentration followed by elimination. As Peter Drucker observed,"Concentration is the key to economic results. No other principle of effectiveness is violated as constantly today as the basic principal of concentration. Our motto seems to be, let's do a little bit of everything." We must cease to dabble in everything before we can become excellent at anything.

Tomorrow: Part SIX of SIX: More of the "Seven Principles."