The number one way to make progress is to prioritize. Often in business, there are a lot of competing priorities. The question that must be answered is, what is your organization’s number one priority for the quarter?
One, just one, you ask? Yes, one. This priority is the one thing your organization must focus on to complete the year successfully. It is what will move the needle most for your organization. Once the priority is determined, projects must be aligned to support it, and key metrics developed to monitor it, along with a communication plan. Everyone in the company knows about the number one priority, their job in implementing it, and the priority’s current status.
Right now is where I start to hear, but Ashley, everything we have going is the number one priority. We can’t possibly stop work on all 999 number one priorities we already have this quarter. I would tell you the first step is self-awareness, and if you want to get anywhere, you need to realign your team on a singular focus.
For you or your organization to do their best work, it is time to scale down the number of priorities so that you can scale up your performance. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the first thing he did was scale down the product offerings to focus on being the best in those remaining products aligned with the company’s overall vision. The main thing has to be the main thing, or there is no main thing.
As we start this final quarter of the year, I want you to get laser-focused. Pull your leadership team together and determine your organization’s number one priority for the next 90 days. Perform an audit of what is on you and your team’s plates and make sure those items support the ninety-day goal. If they do not support it, they need to be moved to the back burner. Ninety days from now, you want to be able to say you moved the needle towards the future for your company in the most significant way possible. Determine your number one priority, create or keep projects that support it. Ensure KPIs are created to monitor the progress of the 90-day priority and supporting projects. Track and communicate status continuously of the KPIs and overall progress. This 90-day plan will enable you to celebrate moving into 2021 in a better place than you are today.
I want you to finish 2020 strong and your organization to be ready for 2021. Please reach out with any questions or to schedule a planning workshop for 2021. Let’s get your team on the calendar and ready for 2021 to be your best year yet.
