Getting Results
E281: How Leaders Deal With Competing Priorities
How do you decide what really matters, and, more importantly, how do we get it all done without losing your mind? Let’s dive in.
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- Duration:
- 11m
- Broadcast on:
- 17 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
As a leader, I imagine you're no stranger to the weight of competing priorities. Every email demands your attention. Every meeting requires your participation, and every decision feels like it could shape the company's future. The challenge we all face is this, how do we decide what really matters? And more importantly, how do we get it all done without losing our minds? Let's dive in. Hi everyone, this is Jim Riviello and I want to welcome you to the Getting Results Podcast. I'm so excited to have you here, so let's get started. Results matter. In fact, we're paid to get results, so the big question is this, how do business leaders like us, who really want to do the right thing and make a difference, how do they get results? How do they effectively lead others in the face of adversity and how do they find a strength and courage to role model the behavior they want to see in others? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Jim Riviello and welcome to Getting Results. We live in a world where we convince ourselves and those who work for us that everything's a top priority. See, this leadership style isn't sustainable, but it's how many of us show up. I want to unpack this and I want to do that by breaking it down to a couple of parts. I'm going to talk about how leaders deal with their competing priorities and how leaders lead their teams when there are competing priorities. First, here are a few things every leader needs to master on a weekly basis. Filter and prioritize. See, this sounds simple, but the ability to filter and prioritize is the skill leaders at all levels need to acquire. If you follow my work, you'll hear me often say that everything's not a priority and that all priorities are not credit equal. In fact, I just did a detailed episode last week where I walked through a framework for filtering and prioritizing. Check it out. It's on my YouTube channel. But here's the key to remember. Not everything on your plate can have equal importance in the week ahead. You need to filter and prioritize your to-do list through a weekly lens. Next is delegate effectively. As a senior leader, your role isn't to do everything yourself. You must identify and distinguish between what you must do, personally, versus what can be delegated. When you do delegate, don't just delegate tasks, delegate responsibility, empower your team by entrusting them to own navigating solved problems. Remember this mindset shift. Develigation isn't about offloading work. It's about extending your influence by empowering others. Third, choose impact over urgency. The biggest mistake leaders make is focusing on those who screamed aloud to us. My advice don't. Right? Instead, focus on what will have the most significant impact. Ask yourself. If I could only accomplish three things this week, what would move the needle most? Choose impact over urgency. Four, alignment is key. See, your job as a leader is to drive alignment. I ask everyone who tends my weekly huddles to come prepared to discuss three things. Highlights from last week, top three big rocks for the week ahead, and issues and challenges that require support. Notice how simple that agenda is. Besides being simple, it covers everything a leader needs to know in a weekly huddle to drive alignment. It also provides an opportunity to reset the focus for the current week if there's a different big rock that should take precedence. I've used this framework for my entire career, and trust me, it works. Okay, that's the weekly focus. Now, let's talk about how we deal with competing priorities on a daily basis. First, you've got to master the art of time and energy. See, time and energy are your most valuable resources. How we spend it determines our effectiveness. I encourage those I work with to develop a morning leadership ritual of reflective thinking. Why? Because how we start our day determines the flow of our day, and I give my clients three questions to begin with. Where did I show up yesterday, as the leader I aspire to be, where did I show up and why, and what's in front of me today that's an opportunity to practice being the leader others want to follow. See, these three questions will force you to become more intentional about what you do and how you do it. I have more, but these three are a great place to start building what I call your awareness muscle. Next is, your calendar is your friend. See, you've got to treat your calendar like Google Maps, it guides you where you want to go. This is one area where leaders need to exercise more discipline. Many leaders I know are sloppy with their calendars, they just accept meanings because they believe they have to, or they don't want to disappoint somebody. Both are false learning beliefs. The key to getting the right stuff done in less time is mastering the art of scheduling. When I work with executives on this, I often rearrange the order of when they do things to help them stay in rhythm and flow. See, daily rhythm and flow is how you gain speed. When you're context switching between unlike tasks, that's the thing that sends you into a tailspin. If you want help on this, follow the link in the description and schedule a call. Next is block time for big rocks. The one thing that frustrates senior leaders big time is when things they want to do keep getting pushed out due to someone else's agenda. Trust me when I say, it doesn't have to be this way. You must block uninterrupted time to work on your big rocks. There's a reason you tag them as a big rock. This is more about your ability to set boundaries than the frantic requests of others. Again, if you want help, follow the link in the description and schedule a call, and I'll give you some options on how you can get better at this. Fourth, schedule reactive time. I know this sounds counterintuitive at first, but it works. You've got to set aside times in your day for reactive tasks, like checking email, returning calls, or following up on requests that require your attention. Just because someone requests something doesn't mean you have to drop everything and do it in that moment. Those I work with will often hear me say, I'll get back to you at 4 o'clock or something like that. See, when you batch those tasks to interrupt your attention, you minimize the mental cost of context switching. Okay, we talked about what leaders can do on a weekly and daily basis to deal with their competing priorities. Now let's raise the conversation a bit. Let's discuss how leaders lead when there are competing priorities. First thing, you've got to leave a clarity in conviction. See, your team looks to you for direction, and your ability to communicate clearly and decisively can make or break your success in navigating multiple demands. You've got to communicate the why. When assigning tasks or setting priorities, explain the why behind them. See, this creates alignment and ensures everyone understands the bigger picture. Next, is be decisive but flexible. See, leaders need to make decisions quickly, and while I believe in measuring twice and cutting once philosophy, I don't believe in measuring 10 times, right? See, the biggest culture killer is when a leader kicks the can on important topics. The most effective leaders I work with, solution in the moment, they patch others in to get their input and they aren't afraid to make decisions. Besides being decisive, those leaders are also not afraid to adapt if new information or circumstances arise. When they're competing priorities, your leadership requires you to be decisive and flexible. Next is be a walking billboard. The really good leaders are walking billboard for the habits and behaviors they want their team to exhibit. Every leader needs to hold themselves accountable. If you act crazy, guess what? Your team is going to act crazy. If you're calm, focused and decisive, there's a really good chance your team will be as well. As a senior leader, you set the tone for the entire organization. Next, ownership and outcomes. See, these are two of my hot buttons. If anyone has ever worked for me, and they will tell you that I encourage ownership and I track, measure, and monitor outcomes, I trust my team to take care of all the stuff in between. Here's the takeaway. Empower your team to own their priorities. Give them the autonomy to decide how to achieve the outcomes you set and trust them to deliver. Building that kind of culture will make dealing with competing priorities a hell of a lot easier. Okay, we touched on a lot, right, and while I dropped plenty of nuggets, there's still a lot I didn't cover. If you want to learn additional strategies and tactics for dealing with competing priorities, let me offer you two suggestions. First, you can do it yourself by using my Power Week Power Life system. Just go to powerweekpowerlife.com to learn more or follow the link in the description. The other option is if you found the tips I share today valuable, I want you to imagine what a six-week personalized coaching session could do for you or someone on your team. Not only would I give you my Power Week Power Life system and all the tools, but I will also personally coach you to customize and implement it so you not only get the right stuff done more efficiently, but you also free up time for yourself. Follow the link in the description and schedule an exploratory call, and we can discuss what that will look like you for you or someone on your team. Remember, you don't have to do it all. You just have to do what matters most. Okay, if you like what I share today, do me a favor, give it a thumbs up, drop a comment below related to your business, and of course, subscribe because each week I'm sharing kind of to help you and your team embrace change, focus your efforts, and accelerate results. Remember this, you're just one idea why. I'll talk to you soon. If you want to get out of the weeds, you need to do more than just hire the right people. You need to get the right people to do the right things. The truth is this, leaders are only as good as a team they surround themselves with. I invite you to join Leadership X University and get access to a thriving community of like-minded business leaders just like yourself. The entire community is designed to be one big support group for leaders who want to get out of the weeds and get their teams to step up. Go to GrowChampion.com or follow the link in the description to learn more. In the meantime, do me a favor and share this with others and whatever way serves your best. Enjoy your week, and I'll talk to you in the next episode. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)