Hi there,
September often feels like a fresh start. Summer schedules give way to full calendars, renewed priorities, and a strong push to finish the year well. However, it can also be one of the easiest times to confuse activity with progress.
Most leaders and teams are not short on effort – the more important question is whether that effort is focused on the work that creates the greatest value.
This month, I am reflecting on the Pareto Principle, John Maxwell’s teaching on priorities, and why a good do-not-do list can be as important as a to-do list.
Activity vs. Progress
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a number of remarkable leaders. One experience that has stayed with me was spending time with John Maxwell in a small, intimate learning environment.
John is known around the world for his leadership teachings, but what struck me most was his ability to cut through complexity and focus his attention on what truly mattered. That lesson connects directly to one of the most useful principles in business, leadership, and stewardship: activity and progress are not the same thing.
We live in a world that rewards activity. Full calendars, overflowing inboxes, meetings, reports, and new initiatives can all create the appearance of momentum. But being busy doesn’t necessarily mean we’re moving forward.
More than a century ago, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed a pattern that became known as the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 Rule. While the percentages are not exact in every situation, the pattern is powerful: roughly 20% of our priorities, decisions, customers, or activities often produce close to 80% of our results.
John Maxwell applied this principle directly to leadership. His teaching was that 20% of our priorities can produce 80% of our results when we invest our time, energy, money, and people in the right 20%. The lesson is about focus. Not all work creates equal value, and leaders have a responsibility to identify the critical few rather than allowing the trivial many to consume the organization.
That sounds simple until we look honestly at our own calendars. How many meetings could be shorter? How many reports are reviewed but never acted upon? How many projects continue simply because they have always existed? How often do urgent requests pull us away from the work that would create the greatest long-term return?
This is why leaders don’t just need a better to-do list. We also need a do-not-do list. What can we stop doing? What can we delegate? What no longer serves our direction? What creates motion without momentum?
Every yes has a cost. It consumes time, energy, attention, and capacity that can no longer be invested elsewhere. Progress is shaped not only by what we choose to do, but also by what we are willing to stop doing.
In many ways, this is the essence of stewardship. Whether we are entrusted with a business, a team, a budget, a community, water, or our own time, stewardship means making wise choices with limited resources. Good stewards identify what matters most and align their resources behind it.
The Pareto Principle helps us identify the critical 20%. A do-not-do list helps protect it from the other 80%. That is where activity begins to turn into progress.
As we move into the fall, the better question may not be, “What else should we be doing?” It may be, “What should we stop doing so the work that matters most receives our best attention?”
Updates From the Field
We see the difference between activity and progress clearly in water stewardship. Organizations are monitoring consumption, installing technology, reviewing reports, responding to leaks, and launching conservation initiatives. All of these actions can be valuable. But activity alone doesn’t tell us whether we’re actually moving toward a better outcome.
Meaningful progress starts with identifying where the greatest opportunities lie. That might mean addressing high-use sites, recurring system issues, gaps in accountability, or decisions that remain stalled because leaders don’t have the information they need to act with confidence.
At GRO, our role isn’t to create more activity for already busy teams. It’s to bring people, process, technology, and data into alignment so leaders can see what matters most, focus their resources, and measure progress toward a clear destination.
The goal isn’t simply to do more water management. It’s to make the work already happening more focused, visible, and effective.
And that principle extends well beyond water. Progress happens when we know where we’re going, focus our resources on what will move us there, and have the discipline to stop doing what no longer serves the goal.
Let’s Connect in Person
We are looking forward to several important conversations this September as GRO continues expanding its leadership and stewardship initiatives throughout Arizona and beyond.
September 23, 2026
Arizona Water Stewardship Leadership Forum–Municipal Leadership
Scottsdale, Arizona
This session will focus on how municipal leaders can build public confidence through transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship. ASU SkySong is one of GRO’s partners in our expansion into Arizona.
September 24, 2026
Arizona Water Stewardship Leadership Forum–Resorts & Hospitality
Scottsdale, Arizona
This session will explore how resorts and hospitality organizations can align guest experience, operational excellence, and long-term water stewardship.
Interested in attending one of the Leadership Forums?
September 30–October 2
2026 WIGI Women in the Green Industry Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana
GRO will be attending the WIGI Women in the Green Industry Conference, hosted by SiteOne Landscape Supply at the Sheraton New Orleans. Michelle and Norah are excited to connect with fellow attendees and participate in discussions centered on water management, resource stewardship, and leadership within the industry. This year’s agenda features sessions on industry trends, business growth, professional development, and wellness, providing valuable opportunities for networking and exchanging ideas that drive progress and innovation.
Final Thoughts
As the pace of fall picks up, it will be easy to add more meetings, initiatives, and priorities. My challenge is to take the opposite approach: identify the 20% that creates the greatest value, then build a do-not-do list that protects it.
Activity consumes resources. Progress creates value. Strong leadership and good stewardship require the clarity to know the difference, and the discipline to act on it.
Thanks,
Randy Valk
Founder/CEO
Grassroots Resource Optimization