When things get a bit crazy, yesterday’s ‘important’ often becomes today’s ‘urgent’ and the issues you have to face have an untimely tendency to illuminate the cracks that need filling in your organisation.
As nimble as your abilities may be, there is only so much of yourself you can throw into resolving issues so prioritisation is key to your survival and sanity.
First things first.
As you’ll often see us mentioning, keeping your desired outcome in focus helps when leading at times the going gets tough. This also applies to prioritising issues as it allows you to
- re-evaluate with clarity what needs to be done now and
- what is just–going–to–have–to–wait.
Although the temptation is to keep putting out the fires in front of you, thinking strategically about your priorities beyond the immediate ‘danger’ can have significant and unexpected benefits. As an example, prioritising the leadership development of a technical team member prior to an IT upgrade project may not only allow you to solve an immediate problem, it may also open up new opportunities for the future.
Similarly, if your phone has stopped ringing, could it be the ideal time to make building strategic alliances a priority to help your business grow?
When prioritising it helps to be flexible and keep in mind the effort (and resources) required. Sometimes you do have to cut and run if the value in the activity just isn’t there.
Getting your priorities clear also enables you to make better decisions and delegate more effectively
….and, most importantly, helps keep you from burning out.
When things change, evaluate again. It may seem like a lot of work, but will benefit you in the long run.
Would you like help getting your priorities on track? It’s easier when you know how.
Arrange a chat with our coaching team today. They have tools and strategies that can help.
