Believe it or not, there is a time to throw out priorities!
As much as I talk about priorities, I’m sure you’re wondering if I’ve lost my mind by saying “don’t prioritize”. Possibly; however, there is a time to throw out priorities!
What do you need to accomplish to support your strategies? How about your key customer needs? I’ve seen too many clients “reshuffling chairs on the Titanic”. Who cares about priorities if you are drowning!
There comes a time for radical thinking. For example, if you have significant levels of past due orders where your current level of staffing will yield only 50% of what you need, prioritizing will end in frustration. So, why does everyone stick with prioritizing? Not only that, I find that we create elaborate systems to help us prioritize yet rarely ever increase our capacity or capabilities. Eventually every order or every customer becomes a priority and so no one is priority. Instead, you’ll need to find a way to increase capacity rapidly.
The key question is how you’ll know if you are reshuffling chairs on the Titanic. It is surprisingly hard to recognize at times. Take a step back and it will become clear. I find it is valuable to set aside time every day to remind yourself of your strategy and ensure you are aligned with it and working on the “right” items.
Are you reshuffling chairs on the Titanic too?