The Second Dirty 'p' word: Prioritization

Last time, we talked about the dirty 'p' word of process.

Now, it's time for the second dirty 'p' word that emits eye rolls among Communications professionals everywhere - prioritization.

Prioritization is the go-to statement used by leadership when they hear things like:

• We're inundated with work and are spending all of our time in reactive mode.
• We need more staff and/or resources to manage the massive volume of work we have.
• How can we do the work necessary to support the company with less staff? (after downsizing or hiring freeze situations)

While it may be tempting to roll your eyes, or yell, "everything I do is a priority!" ... take a beat.

It's a natural and necessary for leaders to encourage efficiency, always. Anytime a C-Suite member hears an inkling of the problems shared above, prioritization will be the go-to guidance for every business area - all of them - not only Communications.

So what do you do as the Communications leader when you need to prioritize, but you see all of your work as a priority?

First, shift the negative perspective of what it means to prioritize on its head.

This is an opportunity. Yes, really.

You've been given an opportunity to redefine the work you do as a team and focus on where you can deliver the most value. That's huge.

It can mean changing how you do the work to be more effective, an opportunity to educate the business areas you work with about your function in a real-world way without "schooling" them to get into the rooms you need to be in, and leave minimal-impact work behind ... in the dust.

Now, onto the how and the positive outcomes that come from this effort.

In the latest episode of the Communications Business Advisor podcast, I invite in special guest Jessica Onick, Senior Director of Internal and Executive Communications at GitHub, to talk about her experiences with prioritization.

It's well worth the 30 minutes. Listen in.

Episode Nine: The Second Dirty 'P' Word... Prioritizing

“It became really clear what we could do and do well with the resources that we had, and those were limited resources. And I never stopped talking about what we could do with more.”?

--Jessica Onick

The dirty word on this episode of the podcast is “prioritization.” Host, Tara McDonagh has invited Jessica Onick, Senior Director of Internal and External Communications at GitHub to share how prioritizing and setting boundaries ended up doubling the size of her team in just over a year.?

In this episode of the Communications Business Advisor? Podcast, Tara and Jessica talk about:?

• Jessica’s experience losing staff and being required to prioritize?
• How to go about the prioritization process and be intentional, NOT ruthless
• The art of telling others, “No, it’s not a priority”
• Determining where you’re really needed to do it all, where to guide, and where to empower self-service
• Using up-front prioritization as a framework for the day-to-day
• Growing your team and budget as a result of the prioritization process?

Links & Resources:?

Jessica Onick on LinkedIn –– www.dhirubhai.net/in/jessicaonick

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Listen to episode 9: The Next Dirty P Word... Prioritizing with Jessica Onick

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Tara McDonagh is a Communications as Business Advisor? activist, advisor to Fortune 500 communications leaders and their teams, and Founder of Raise the Tide? for women in Comms. She helps Comms. teams elevate their reputations as critical advisors while elevating our profession and the people in it. Visit: www.taramcdonagh.com