how to prioritise
the priority two step
step one - clarify
In the middle of a forest lived a man who was reputed to be the finest archer in the world.
Why? Because every tree in that forest had a bullseye target painted on it and every target had one single arrow fired right in the centre of the bullseye. Not a bit to the left or a bit to the right, but right in the centre.
There must have been over a thousand trees, each one had a bullseye painted on it and each bullseye had one single arrow fired right in the centre. The man was hailed as the finest archer in the world, but this was an honour he always declined.
Then one day someone challenged him to explain.
"It’s quite simple", the man replied. "First, I fire an arrow into the tree and then I paint the bullseye around it."
Sometimes we get fixated on the ever-growing list of things we need to do, rather than what we’re really trying to achieve. Yet once we clarify what our priorities are, we can direct our time, energy and expertise with much more chance of success.
step two - focus
It was a visit to my doctor that prompted our initial curiosity around the topic of prioritisation.
Like many, I belong to an incredibly busy surgery, overwhelmed by local population growth, without similar attention to infrastructure. Getting a medical degree can at times, feel easier than getting a medical appointment!
As the consultation ended, we did the predictable and polite exchange of what’s happening next in our respective lives. It was here that my doctor revealed ‘’I’m going away for a few weeks in the sun and ignoring what may be waiting for me upon my return. I’ll face that when I get back.’’
In looking forward to the break, she was choosing not to worry about the various professional and personal tasks that would await her return. Not because she doesn’t care – she’s undeniably an excellent doctor – but because the family holiday was now her priority.
All her immediate decisions and choices would focus on getting this in place. As a result, it would now be both protected and delivered.
For those of you familiar with Stephen Covey, putting first things first is one of the 8 habits of highly effective people. In a nutshell, it means protecting time and focusing effort on what matters most.
Once we’re clear about what we need to focus on, we’re able to subtract or pause things that are currently less important and add or prioritise the things that are.
Balance is what’s left after you’ve made these additions and subtractions.
need help with prioritisation?
‘’The man who chases two rabbits catches none’’
Confucius
When we work with clients, often the most useful thing they say we do, is to help them clarify and focus on their priorities.
Through 1-1’s and small interactive sessions with Senior Leaders and their immediate teams, we start by helping them to simplify who they are, what they do and why they do it as an organisation. This involves clarifying their values, principles and core strengths and defining their purpose or benefit to others.
We shape this into a balance framework and use it as a simple tool to extend the conversation across the business, typically through small team discussions or workshops, helping people to identify what they want to achieve, the realities they face and therefore what they need to prioritise.
With most clients, this is then developed into a strategy, with clear areas of focus, expressed in simple terms that everyone in the organisation can understand and translate into action. With others it’s more bespoke, such as helping the COO to shape and communicate three big things he wanted his leadership team to focus on, enabling them to prioritise forward activity vs. firefighting.
With the balance framework keeping discussions and decisions aligned to what matters most, and the priorities clearly defined, organisations can focus their energy and expertise on what matters most and remove or repurpose the things that might distract or derail them.
With life moving at a pace and things outside our control requiring us to continually adjust and adapt, clarifying and focusing on our priorities helps us to create the balance we need to survive, succeed and keep moving forward.
If you’d like some help with prioritisation, why not give us a call?
We can chat through what you’re trying to achieve, discuss some options for how we might work with you, tailored to your needs, timelines and budgets, all with absolutely no obligation.
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about create balance
who we are
We’re a small, tight team of experienced consultants, who have helped leaders and organisations through the best and the worst of the past thirty years.
what we do
We help you create balance - the ability to adjust your position relative to the world around you, so you can survive, succeed and keep moving forward.
why we do it
To extend the evolutionary ability of balance to good people doing things.
how we do it
We combine our consultancy, creative expertise and simple methodology to create a single outcome – the balance you need to keep moving forward.
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