The Priority List

I'm reading the book, The Priority List by David Menasche in between several other things right now.  I began it on Sunday rather uncharacteristically as I had no intention of reading it now.  As I mentioned I'm in the middle of a few other books - mainly for work - and my focus needs to be there rather than personal reading.

So as I sat in my chair that morning with my daily devotional, I reached for The Priority List.  As I read page after page sitting there, I knew I was drawn to it for a reason.  The author, David, was a teacher.  High school honors English teacher to be exact.  He was dedicated to his craft - opening the minds of students to the possibility.  To pursuing their passion - every single day.  He was admirable, he was wise and he was dying.

Without sharing the whole story I'll share a strategy he used to get to know a new classroom of students.  On the board he'd write a series of words - The Priority List - and ask them to choose the ones most meaningful to them.  A handful at most.  To rank them in priority.  Don't take a lot of time doing it, the ones meant to be will jump out.  This told him a lot about each student.  What they valued.  What was important to them.

And then it hit me.

This is exactly the exercise I would do with my new team on Wednesday.  This way I could share something important to me.  Reading.  Learning.  Someone else's story.  Life lessons.  And I could allow the team to get to know one another in a different way, and me to learn about them too.

It was awesome.  We learned about one another in a painless, fun and insightful way.  I feel good about this team.  I feel good about my ability to pursue my passion too.  To help grow these leaders.

Mission accomplished.

Or rather, now the work starts.  And the beauty of it is - we're in it together!


Oh, and by the way, here's the words we used:

Health ** Travel ** Style ** Adventure ** Privacy ** Creativity ** Loyalty ** Career ** Honor ** Technology ** Trust ** Education ** Companionship ** Fun ** Independence ** Family ** Acceptance ** Possessions ** Friendship ** Security ** Love ** Victory ** Shelter ** Respect