Using Big Rocks to Drive Growth
Introduction: What are Big Rocks?
To some people, the term Big Rocks may mean nothing more than oversized lumps of stone or boulders. Others may be more familiar with the use of Big Rocks as a cornerstone of drawing up business growth strategies and goal setting. In the simplest terms, Big Rocks are objectives, targets or goals that represent your top priorities. These are the jobs, tasks or aims that are vital to the success of the company. They are the mission-critical elements of your strategy.
Identifying Big Rocks
The task of identifying key objectives may seem simple on the surface, but many business owners struggle to utilise Big Rocks to drive growth because they encounter issues at this crucial stage. The most common hurdles include:
Identifying too many priorities: it is essential to understand that your Big Rocks are the most crucial cogs in the wheel. There may be several tasks that are important within a framework, such as Objective Key Results, but the first golden rule when using Big Rocks to facilitate expansion and improvement is zoning in on the elements that top the list of priorities.
Losing focus: running a business is akin to spinning multiple plates at any given time. It’s easy to get distracted and lose focus. If you are implementing Big Rocks as a means of catapulting your business forward, it’s essential to maintain your focus and prevent other things from taking away from the critical tasks at hand.
Struggling to pinpoint the priorities: there are several factors that influence success and growth in business. For many company directors, it may not be easy to narrow down and pinpoint the most critical elements. Ironically, if you have an endless list of priorities, this equates to having no priorities because you are unable to decide or concentrate on what matters most.
What are the advantages of Big Rocks in business?
Working with a management consulting firm can help you to identify your Big Rocks and implement plans and tactics to ensure that you hit targets and achieve goals. The primary benefits of using Big Rocks as a strategy include:
Focusing on mission-critical jobs
Enhancing clarity by outlining essential instructions and targets for employees
Achieving success by concentrating on individual tasks
Making the best use of resources
Boosting morale through accomplishment: achieving a single objective is far more rewarding than working on several jobs that are never finished or accomplished
Utilising a clear, accessible system of defining priorities: Big Rocks come before small rocks, pebbles and sand
Summary
Using Big Rocks can help businesses to grow, develop and expand. The concept involves defining priorities and utilising strategies and tactics to maximise the chances of achieving objectives. If you run a business, and you’re not familiar with the concept of Big Rocks, using this analogy to pinpoint critical tasks and outline key objectives could help you to take your company to the next level.
