The Right Main Thing

You have heard it before, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Stephen Covey coined this phrase in his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”¹ My very boiled-down version of Mr. Covey’s idea is that we can easily become focused on the wrong right thing. Somewhere along the way we can become distracted from the direction we wanted to go, lose our emotional investment, and change our priorities.

As the world came to a stop in 2020, we were all given the unexpected and unique gift of time to focus inward. Smart organizations took advantage of this gift and pulled back the curtain. They refocused on their core mission, made staffing and strategic planning changes, and emerged with renewed confidence and focus. These organizations re-established their main thing.

Likewise, event hosts had the chance to evaluate their strategies. Planners were being forced to cancel or reschedule events while scrambling to create online substitutes. Some realized the actual goals and objectives of their events had been lost in the clutter of “we’ve always done it this way.” Some organizations were able to change their event structure. Some altered their platform, and as a result, discovered a whole new audience from around the world they had never met before. Others scrapped their programs altogether.

Having been forced to think creatively, reimagine events, and sacrifice some sacred cows, organizations have been able to thrive against all Covid-19 odds. So before your team sits down to plan the next event, whether in-person or online, ask yourselves if you truly are keeping the right main thing the main thing.

Did you learn a valuable lesson during the “peel-back-the-curtain” phase of life? I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email or share it below.

Share this blog with others who plan events, on your social media, and be sure to like it!

¹Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. [Rev. ed.]. New York: Free Press, 2004.