If everything is important, then nothing is important, and if everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent!

As a leader, if you fail to prioritise each day, week, month, quarter, half-year, year, three years, five years, ten years, and yes, even casting out 100 years, then you’re likely not helping yourself or your organisation be the best or achieve your strategy and long-term vision. Effective strategic leadership means identifying and addressing the crucial challenges of ‘what we will do’ and, more importantly, ‘what we will not do’ head-on, daily, because, If everything is important, then nothing is important, and if everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent!

But how do we know what the game-changer intervention is?

In my experience, truly strategic leaders take the time to really understand the whole problem and opportunity and consider the whole business before taking action. They use techniques like Framing and the 5 Whys to dive deep into issues, challenges and opportunities ensuring they are tackling the right question - the root cause rather than just symptoms.

Drawing on insights from the Book, "The ONE Thing" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan , it’s clear that focusing on the most important intervention can lead to extraordinary results. Here are some great tips from the book on how to spend 80%+ of your time on areas where you can provide unique value using your natural talents:

1. Identify Your ONE Thing: Determine the single most important intervention that will make everything else easier or unnecessary.
2. Time Blocking: Dedicate uninterrupted blocks of time to focus on your ONE Thing and protect this time from distractions.
3. Prioritise Your Day: Start your day by tackling your most important intervention first.
4. Say No: Learn to say no to tasks that don't align with your priorities and long-term goals.
5. Create a Support System: Surround yourself with people and tools that support your focus on your ONE Thing.

In the rapidly changing, fast-paced world, time is our most valuable commodity as leaders. This makes it crucial to spend time on the interventions that provide the greatest value and impact—activities that align with your own and your organisation's natural talents and strengths, the things that make you and your organisation unique and different.

Prioritisation is one of the most crucial skills in both personal and professional settings. It enables individuals to manage their time effectively, focus on what truly matters, and achieve their goals efficiently. Effective prioritisation enhances productivity, reduces stress, improves decision-making, and facilitates goal achievement. By using prioritisation strategies, individuals can manage their workload more efficiently and achieve a better work-life balance.

Without clear priorities, you risk spreading your efforts too thin, leading to decreased effectiveness and increased stress. Identifying and focusing on the most critical tasks allows you to achieve significant results and make a meaningful impact.

Research from leading consulting firms supports this focus:

• Bain & Company (2019): Top-performing leaders spend the majority of their time on high-impact interventions that leverage their unique strengths. Perform capability assessments to identify core strengths and create a prioritised roadmap of strategic initiatives (Bain & Company, 2019).
• McKinsey & Company (2020): Effective time management can increase productivity by 25%. Leaders should delegate tasks, automate processes, and focus on value-adding activities and interventions. Implement structured time management techniques like time blocking to prioritise high-impact tasks and interventions (McKinsey & Company, 2020).
• Deloitte (2021): To drive long-term success, align leadership activities with the broader organisational strategy. Invest in leadership development and promote a strategic mindset to ensure leaders focus on activities that support the organisation's vision (Deloitte, 2021).

Additionally, peer-reviewed research further validates these findings:

• Drucker, P. F. (2006): Stresses the significance of effective time management and focusing on core competencies to enhance leadership effectiveness. Effective time management can lead to a productivity increase of up to 25%, and focusing on core competencies can increase operational efficiency by up to 50% (Drucker, 2006).
• Goleman, D. (2000): This article highlights the role of emotional intelligence in prioritising and managing high-impact activities and interventions. Emotional intelligence in leaders can improve team performance by 34%, and prioritising high-impact activities aligned with strengths can lead to a 15-20% increase in organisational value (Goleman, 2000).

Stop wasting time. As a leader, tackle the single most important intervention that will make everything else easier or unnecessary each day, week, month, quarter, half-year, year, three years, five years, ten years, and beyond!

Kia kaha. Kia māia. Kia manawanui.

#Leadership | #Strategy | #Growth | #Business

References:

• Keller, G., & Papasan, J. (2013). The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. Bard Press.
• McKinsey & Company. (2020). How to improve your time management and increase productivity. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company
• Deloitte. (2021). Aligning leadership focus with organizational strategy. Retrieved from Deloitte
• Bain & Company. (2019). The secret to top-performing leaders: High-impact activities. Retrieved from Bain & Company
• Montgomery, A. W., & Spence, L. J. (2017). Stakeholder engaged scholarship: Ethics, practice, and policy implications. Journal of Business Ethics, 147(1), 89-98. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2947-2
• Drucker, P. F. (2006). The Effective Executive. Harper Business.
• Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership That Gets Results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.