More crucial than knowing which things to focus on is absolute clarity about what to not do altogether. Because those “not quite as important” things will block out your time, energy and focus, and prevent you giving those to the things that count.
And that wastage gets amplified exponentially when you’re a leader. Those “wouldn’t it be great if …”, or “our competitor is doing …”, or “Simon Sinek says we should…” ideas start a thousand hares running in your organisation.
People don’t focus on the ones that make a difference.
Because they have drop something in order to move on to the next thing, they leave leave a trail of valueless half-complete work.
Strategic direction is lost as people go in different directions.
Motivation dips as your projects become flavour-of-the-month.
So leaders, before you launch 4 new ideas every week, pause. See if they align with your strategy. See if they’re worth ditching what you’ve already got in flight over.
None of that is to say that you shouldn’t create and work on new ideas – great ideas excellently executed will be what sets your business apart. But remember that your ideas need to be completed to deliver their value, so give them a chance by not drowning them in too many others.