On a personal level, knowing your priorities is crucial for managing and completing tasks. For business leaders, establishing the right priorities can be even more impactful, helping to create efficient work environments, improve productivity and keep customers satisfied. With so much on your plate already, though, setting the priorities that will influence the actions and behaviors of all of your employees, teams and departments can feel overwhelming.
To help you recognize where and how you should focus your efforts, 13 contributors to Forbes Coaches Council weigh in below with guidance on how to get better at setting priorities.
Forbes Coaches Council members give advice on setting priorities.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Learn About Yourself
An effective way to establish better priorities is to learn about yourself. Yes, I know it sounds different. The key is to learn when your high- and low-energy times are and maximize them! You are probably working 10-plus hours a day, but are you effective? Take time to learn more about yourself so that you can prioritize your work during your high-energy moments. - Kurt Faustin, Kurt Faustin
2. Balance Short- And Long-Term Priorities
There needs to be an effective balance between short-term priorities and what is required in the medium-to-long term. Typically, leaders have a team to manage their organization’s daily operations. They should prioritize building this capacity for themselves in the short term in order to focus on keeping their businesses profitable, relevant, vision-aligned and purpose-led going forward. - Linda Aiyer, InfinitU Consulting
3. Follow Your Income Statement Structure
A simple but effective way is to follow the logical and chronological structure of the income statement: sales or revenue issues first, followed by cost of sales challenges (operations and/or production challenges), followed by fixed costs management and budgets. Tax, return on investment and the restructuring of balance-sheet needs come last. - Johan Slabbert, Johan Slabbert - Transpersonal Coach
4. Align Priorities To Your Bigger Goals
If your priorities don't align to the bigger goals, then why are you doing them? Every function and task must get you closer to your goals. If not, they aren't priorities, period. That means building rapport with your team, too. Your team is what gets you there. They should always be a priority. - Shelley Smith, Premier Rapport
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5. Look Through The Lens Of Company Values
One powerful approach is to look at the different options available through the lens of your company values. Ask yourself, "To what extent do each of these priorities advance our company values?" This exercise brings tremendous clarity to how we conduct our business and provides invaluable signaling to employees about where they should invest their time. - Craig Dowden, Craig Dowden & Associates
6. Use A Repeatable, Data-Driven Approach
Businesses should determine their priorities using a repeatable, data-driven approach. A business should create a simple system, using a spreadsheet to score, analyze and prioritize their potential actions and activities. - John Knotts, Crosscutter Enterprises
7. Include And Consult With Diverse Voices
When establishing priorities, make the time and space to include diverse voices and really listen to employees and stakeholders. Priorities are often created by executives who then cascade those decisions down to the organization. A more effective way is to facilitate processes that allow for real input. Employees are people with networks and relationships. Listen to them early and often. - Juliette Mayers, Inspiration Zone LLC
8. Be Ruthless About Saying ‘No’
Leaders should be ruthless about saying "no." Get crystal-clear about what is most important (your values) and the future you hope to build (your vision). Your priority should be the one thing (or very few things) you need to do to move toward your vision and stay in alignment with your values. This is true for daily as well as annual priorities. - Christian Muntean, Vantage Consulting
9. Reconnect To Your ‘Why’
Reconnect to the "why" of the organization and its key initiatives. As leaders reconnect and stay connected to the "why," the bigger picture comes more clearly into view. This not only helps leaders crystallize the “who, what, by when, where and how,” but, more importantly, it also inspires deeper commitment, focus and action toward achieving the desired outcome. Circling back to the "why" keeps momentum high. - Angela Cusack, Igniting Success
10. Keep Your Focus On The Big Picture
It can be easy to get sidetracked by today's ever-growing list of marketing trends. Should your business be investing time and resources into TikTok? Focus is essential to growth. Establish priorities that are designed to help you maximize your mission, and keep your list of priorities limited to three. This will help eliminate inefficiencies and keep your business focused on the big picture. - Hannah Koenig, HANNAH KONEIG INTERNATIONAL LLC
11. Clarify Your Desired Outcome
Be clear and specific about your desired outcome. Break it down into small bites or tasks that are also clear and defined. Don't forget to get agreement from your team that both the outcome and the tasks are doable. - Barry Michael George, Impact Global Coaching LLC
12. Realize Not Everything Is A Fire
Most importantly, realize that not everything is a fire that must be put out immediately. If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. Second, consider the mission and values of the business. It has to always come back to that, even if it's a few levels removed. If something is either not in service to the mission or will have less of an impact, then that thing is a lower priority. - Dhru Beeharilal, Nayan Leadership, LLC
13. Take Five Minutes Daily To Set Goals
Begin and end each day with a disciplined, five-minute, goal-setting exercise. Set aside five minutes in the morning to write down the top five priorities for the day. Spend your energy throughout the day focused on attending to those priorities. At the end of the day, take five minutes to review, reprioritize any unfinished tasks, add new ones and delegate anything that does not align with goals, values and vision. - Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting
