Not everything in your business deserves equal priority or focus.
Yes, we wear many hats, and we have an endless to-do list, but the danger is believing that one task is just as important as any other. I think of it like food. Ten calories from a carrot is different than 10 calories from a cupcake. Yes, a calorie is a calorie – but the former provides a lot more benefit than the latter.
It’s the same in business. An hour spent ‘networking’ on Facebook is not the same as an hour spent optimizing your back-end systems to save you time and money.
As entrepreneurial leaders, one of the top skills we need to learn is discernment – deciding what’s most important, what needs to go and what can be tabled for later.
Because it can’t all be that important.
When everything is a priority, nothing is – and your business success will get sacrificed on the alter of trying to do it all. In any given period of time, you can only put your best energy toward a few things, and to pretend otherwise is crazy talk (and setting you up for major overwhelm and stress).
That’s why I teach that you should get clear on their strategic priorities FIRST. You can pick them for the quarter or the full year – the timing doesn’t matter nearly as much as the focus. Your strategic priorities are the overarching areas of importance that deserve your attention, focus and resources.
What is MOST important to the success of your business right now?
Pick 3-5 priorities that best align with the vision you hold for this next year in business. That’s where you focus first.
And then you build your plan around that. You set goals around those priorities. And you work backward to map out the key actions you’ll take to realize them. Most importantly, make room in your calendar now to fulfil on those priorities before that time gets eaten up by other people’s agendas instead.
When you’re clear on what’s most important, then you can focus your energy, attention and resources toward it and start to see some significant movement. Conversely, when you’re trying to do anything and everything in hopes things will grow, you drastically dilute your efforts and impact.
As Stephen Covey said, “The main thing is that you keep the main thing the main thing.”
Hold your priorities as sacred yeses on the path to a better business reality. If any new opportunity presents itself, filter it through your strategic priorities. If it will advance one of your priorities, then do it. If it doesn’t, then no matter how bright and shiny it is, say no.
