In today’s segment on Patrick Lencioni’s 6 Critical questions, we consider What is important right now? Lencioni suggests focusing on just one priority to be achieved in the next 3 to 12 months.
This will be an objective that is both supportive of the strategic direction, and is the right thing to focus on now. Selection requires a mapping of your strategic plan that identifies what is needed when. Successful execution requires saying no to all the other wonderful opportunities, so you can properly resource the initiative while still successfully executing your day to day operations.
If you can follow Lencioni’s advice, you will be in an elite crowd that both believes and executes to the adage that performance grows with focus. All too common are well-intentioned priorities that combine to provide confusion through the organization. Many of us have lived the multi-pronged dream that asks for increased sales and cost reduction; which translates on the front line as grow the business without investment. Or perhaps, improve customer satisfaction and efficiency; meaning focus on your customer without spending time with them.
Leinwand & Mainardi highlighted in an HBR article that of 1800 executives surveyed, 64% say they have conflicting priorities; 81% said this leads to waste at least some of the time and 56% found it challenging to allocate resources. If executives feel this way, one can imagine that it is much more challenging for managers who have less access to, and flexibility with resources.
Many people will say that in an organization as large as theirs it makes sense to have a few priorities. That is always an option, however, the first trip to the moon provides a great example of what can be done with a singular focus.
