Priorities are necessary when we are making decisions. Regardless of size, the options you consider and choose from set the direction of your next steps.
Simplicity isn’t always effortless. It’s easy to pick your battles. It’s easy to let small things slide. Yet, the results of many little things are what erode the success of your decision-making. There’s a domino effect that follows our decisions, and leaders – often eager to prove their value – can fall in a trap of doing a lot, without accomplishing much. In other words, it’s easy to confuse important and urgent.
We can’t know what our future holds, and even with the best predictions, we can never be fully prepared. However, we can practice prioritization as a strategic business discipline and learn how to share priorities with our teams.
Red Direction tapped ten business leaders to share their top prioritization advice.
When it comes to teams, you have extra dimensions to consider. These are your people and the mission of your business. The way you show up and guide will keep people focused on the right things right now:
Dr. Federico Fioretto – Trainer, Consultant and Lecturer
Keep people always well aware and remind them where you’re going with other priorities, and what are the things that are relevant in order to achieve the objectives.
Jennifer Goldman – Business Transformation Specialist
The deadline is the deadline. Use the plan to make sure it doesn’t hurt priorities.
The willingness to say something that may another confused or even upset may be necessary.
Lee Caraher – CEO Double Forte, Speaker & Author
Just because someone put their responsibility into your email doesn’t mean you have to prioritize that first.
Justin Patton – International speaker, leadership coach
We all know the next right answer. You know, you feel it in your intuition, when it’s time… You always know the right next step.
We all can benefit from external help. Sometimes external perspectives helps us keep our priorities aligned to our goals.
Phyllis Weiss Haserot – President and Founder, Practice Development Counsel
What coaches do is ask questions. And they ask the “WHY”. When they get a response, they ask the why about that response to make you think through.
Dr. Amanda Barrientez – CEO and Founder, NFA Coaching
Take consistent strategic daily action: write down three to five top priority items each day.
Take time to talk about awareness, take time to understand the problems you’re solving. Ask the question: are they the ones you want for the course to where you want to go?
Steve Rosvold – Founder and CEO, CFO.University
It’s a real balancing act between too many controls and too few controls. Too much risk, and too little risk.
Nathalie Gregg – Adjunct Professor, Speaker, Business Consultant, Author
It’s only selfish if we don’t share our talent if we don’t share ideas. It’s selfish if we keep it to ourselves, and we don’t share
What if you took a risk? How far out would the outcome be? Taking a chance is part of holding to the goals you have. Make decisions to support those goals.
Andrew Zicklin – Managing Partner, Market Central Private Assets, LLC
If you’re always balancing, you’re always living in the middle. And you never get to experience going off the edge.
The effort you put in directly impacts the result you get. Are you willing to do what it takes?
Jess Dewell – Managing Partner, Red Direction
It’s bold to stay the course. It’s bold to be consistent. And it’s bold to do something that not many people will take time for.
Still feel like you need a bit of help with some business direction on this topic? Then ACT to Plan by contacting me for a 30-Minute Unstuck Quick Consult. We’ll discuss your aims, where you are, and where you should be to move deliberately toward your team-building goals!
