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Are you hurting your team by not setting priorities?

One of the most underrated skills that any person and certainly any leader should master is that of prioritization.

The ability to drive clarity and focus for yourself and/or your team pays dividends almost immediately. The question is, “With so much to focus on, what should take top priority?”

As a leader it’s important to gather input from the key people on your team. It’s also your role to drive the conversation on prioritization because more often than not your leadership has competing interests which leads to competing priorities.

Where to start

1. Be clear about your outcomes.  As you are bombarded with new inputs, come back to the outcomes to help your decision making.
2. Gather your list. However, an unranked list is as useless as a chocolate teapot.
3. Determine what is urgent and what is important. Do not confuse the two. Important is not always urgent and vice versa. When an item is both that’s a sign that it should be on high on the list.

Do this

In the over a decade of experience I have working with senior leaders, this exercise is one of my favorites to help everyone prioritize collaboratively.

When it gets tough

There will often be tension between different leaders (or even yourself) over a few items that seem to have equal importance. REMEMBER: to hold yourself and your team accountable to the ranking.

• The wait list. One technique when it’s hard to decide where to put the “cut-line” is to revisit the list at a future date – quarterly often works. Essentially, you are creating a waiting list of items to be moved up or down and this allows for the team to flex based on new information and new circumstances.

Bottom line

“I can’t get no satisfaction.” – The Rolling Stones. Without prioritization you and/or your team lack focus. Lack of focus leads to chaos. Chaos can create a culture of confusion and distrust.

The flipside is also true. A focused individual/team leads to greater engagement which leads to increased productivity outcomes. For individuals that can lead to greater satisfaction. For businesses this also leads to stronger financial performance.