The Big Rock Theory & Your Development
Several years ago, Stephen Covey recounted the story in “First Things First” about the big rock theory. Many people have heard the theory but it bears repeating.
As the story goes, an associate of Covey’s was at a seminar and saw a presenter pull out a gallon jar and fill it with fist-sized rocks. The presenter went on to ask the audience is the jar was full. They of course responded, “Yes”. The presenter then put gravel in the jar so that the gravel filled the space between the rocks. He asked the same question as before and the group responded, “Probably not.” Next, he put in sand which filled in between the gravel and rocks. He asked the group if the jar was full and they responded, “No”. Lastly, he filled the jar up with water and asked the group the point of this illustration. One response was that no matter how full your schedule is you can always fit more into it. The presenter said, “No”. What he was illustrating was that you have to put your big rocks in first or you will never get them in at all.
One of the biggest rocks we have is driving our own development. Yet so often that is not one of the rocks that we put into our proverbial jar. We tend to leave that big rock out and fill our jar with other important tasks, failing to prioritize our development. It is not always easy to stop and look at what big rocks we have in the jar because we tend to be busy doing it all.
I’ve watched many people who say they want to grow in a certain area and never make the time for it. I had a co-worker once who wanted to move to a different job. That particular job required proficiency in a certain application that was easy to obtain; even free training was offered. Taking the training to learn the application wasn’t a big rock. The individual stayed in the same role and became more dissatisfied that she wasn’t able to move into a new job. When it comes to your development, if not you, than who? Your development must be a priority.
Take a moment to think about what your big rocks are. Is your development one of them? How can you make sure that you get that big rock into the jar? If you prioritize your development, it will happen. If you see it as the gravel, sand, or water, it may or may not get done. If it is not even in the jar, it won’t get done.
Many of us barely have time to get to the big rocks much less the gravel, sand or water. Wouldn’t it be better to ensure that you are doing the right things to grow your skills and potentially help you reach other goals you have in your life?
