Why Everything Depends on Setting the Right Priorities

The most important decision leaders make every day is what to prioritize. Getting the day’s priorities right sets the stage for a successful day. 

Of course, emergencies and brush fires arise, requiring leaders to reprioritize. However, what is most important resurfaces quickly and takes precedence. Great leaders know that if they get the priorities right, everything else will fall into place.

Of the many ways to focus attention and set targets for achievement, perhaps none is more important than priority. OKRs, goals, objectives, critical success factors, and their many cousins all depend on setting priorities on a daily basis. 

Priorities force people to focus on those things that matter most right now. Leaders who get the priorities right and make progress on them give themselves the best chance to accomplish more long-range objectives and goals. Priorities are the building blocks of long-term success. 

Priorities are never the leader’s “day job” or what they are expected to do. Instead, they are the highest and best use of time right now. As such, they change frequently, sometimes not lasting for more than a few hours or a day or two. 

Despite how important they are, many leaders lack the discipline to set and stick to them. Or they identify too many priorities. Ironically, having a large list of priorities actually equates to not having any at all. 

The bottom line is this: People who fail to set priorities generally fail to reach their goals. People who do, accomplish more. 

Prioritizing means making hard decisions. The smaller the set, the better. This doesn’t mean items given a lower importance are neglected or ignored. They just have to wait their turn to rise to the top of the list. 

Good leaders continually ask themselves this question: How important is what I’m doing if what I’m doing isn’t the most important thing? 

Starting the day setting clear priorities is what good leaders do. They select priorities based on what will have the biggest impact right now. No one else can make that choice for you. Letting others set your priorities by taking your time and energy is never a good idea. Responding to people happens only after leaders make progress on their own priority set. 

In the words of author Brian Tracy, “Your ability to select your most important task at each moment, and then to get started on that task and to get it done both quickly and well, will probably have more of an impact on your success than any other quality or skill you can develop.”  Sounds like developing the skill of prioritizing should receive your highest priority!