In today's fast-paced business environment, it's easy to get bogged down in day-to-day tasks and lose sight of the big picture. That’s why being clear on key business priorities, aligning and setting annual objectives and staying focused on them is crucial to the success of any organization. From various discussions with business teams, this is easier said than done, especially when far too often:
Leadership doesn’t explain the strategic priorities for the year leaving employees without the important context (the why) behind what they’re asked to do (the what).
Teams have too many priorities, and in some cases conflicting ones, leading to confusion and little prioritization.
Managers are finalizing annual objectives for their teams in March leaving them with <80% time left to deliver on expectations.
Objectives are vaguely written without clear measures of success.
Little to no meaningful/regular feedback is provided on progress against goals.
Distractions like unscheduled meetings, getting pulled into unimportant but seemingly urgent work capitalize precious time.
So, what can be done? The good news is that it's not too late to course correct if all/some of the above apply to you/your organization.
Treat everyone as partners and explain the why As Simon Sinek wrote in his book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, “When they [employees] are unclear about your WHY, WHAT you do has no context.” Employees will be more engaged if they understand the context behind what is being asked of them and how it connects to the bigger picture – the difference between laying bricks (without context) and helping to create a beautiful building (with context).
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize Stephen R. Covey explained in his book First Things First, to think of your calendar like a jar. If you don't put the big rocks (the mission-critical objectives or projects) in first, your jar will quickly get filled with pebbles of urgent, but less important things. Prioritizing your time, energy and focus on the big rocks will help individuals and teams to be more productive, efficient, and on track to achieving their goals. It keeps everyone aligned on what matters most, reduces stress and prevents burnout from trying to do too many things.
Ensure objectives are S.M.A.R.T. Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals will improve focus, motivation, and productivity as well as help prioritize tasks and allocate resources appropriately. They provide a clear roadmap for success, increase accountability and transparency, and individuals stay on track.
Hold regular ‘check-ins’ and provide meaningful feedback Regular manager/employee check-ins have numerous benefits. For Employees: They provide opportunities to have a clear understanding of their performance. A simple framework like what’s working well, what could work better and what’s missing provides clarity leading to increased job satisfaction and motivation. They also provide an opportunity to ask managers how they can help/support. For Managers: They provide managers opportunity to provide timely feedback on progress, understand how they can support and, in certain cases, identify and address issues before they become major problems, leading to improved team performance and productivity. For Organization: They create a culture of open communication, collaboration and trust, fostering stronger relationships between managers and employees.
Stay focused and learn to say ‘no’ It's important to establish a system for managing distractions and staying on track. Two quick suggestions:
When new tasks/requests come in, evaluate them in light of annual objectives. If a task/request doesn't align with the goals, it's important to politely decline, explain why, and stay focused on what's most important.
Establish clear boundaries around time and availability. This might mean scheduling time blocks for focused work, turning off email notifications during certain periods of the day, or delegating tasks to others when appropriate.
In conclusion, by understanding the big picture, translating this to clear mission critical objectives, and staying on track, you can prioritize time and resources, avoid distractions, maintain momentum, and make productive progress towards goals.
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