The Effective Executive - First Things First

There are always more things that need to be done than what an executive can do.
And even then only a little of his time is really his/her own time after the demands of the organization.

So an effective executive has to think through his priorities and decide his topmost priorities and only do them. These are the guidelines to decide the top priorities

Courage rather than analysis dictates the truly important
rules for identifying priorities:
• Pick the future as against the past;
• Focus on opportunity rather than on problem;
• Choose your own direction—rather than climb on the
bandwagon; and
• Aim high, aim for something that will make a difference,
rather than for something that is “safe” and easy to do.

Since future is not pressing, most of the time is lost of maintaining the past. But in reality the executive has to look to the future and work about making it better instead of correcting his/her predecessor's mistakes.

Focus on opportunity and make sure to capitalize on it. Any merger or acquisition which needs to be done today can't be done after 5 years. Everything would have changed and the situation that was true in that time will not be true now.

Accomplish one priority, will itself alter the priorities. So always check the priorities and concentrate the top priorities and leave the rest.