Why prioritisation is the key to business success
It is so frustrating when you find yourself in exactly the same place as you were last month, last quarter or last year and you realise that yet again, you haven’t managed to take the action you needed to move your business forward.
You know where you want to go, you know where you should be focusing your time and energy. In fact, at the last quarterly strategic meeting, you all agreed on the goals and KPIs and somebody made a spreadsheet outlining how your business is going to grow and improve.
Yet here you are again, three months later, still in the same place, on the same hamster wheel.
You’re working hard, giving it your all, yet somehow, nothing seems to change.
You’re so busy caught up in the day-to-day making sure you deliver high-quality products or services, looking after customers, managing your team and dealing with unexpected challenges that making real progress towards your bigger goals feels impossible. It’s a constant cycle of firefighting, plate-spinning and reacting instead of proactively driving your business forward.
Are you stuck on the hamster wheel?
The good news? There is a way to break this cycle.
There is a way to get rid of this Groundhog Day sensation and get off the hamster wheel so you can get the results you want, move the needle forward in your business and feel excited and confident about the future.
Breaking the Cycle: The Power of Focus
If I were to ask a random member of your team what role they play in the success of your business, what do you think they would say?
If I asked them what is most important for your business right now, what would they say?
What about if I asked you the same questions?
Would you be able to tell me without hesitation what the biggest priority is in your business today?
It starts on the inside.
It starts with you. It’s about managing change and leading by example.
As a leader, it’s vital for you get really clear on the vision for your business and your ultimate goal, and then communicate it so well with your team that they all know where they’re going, why it matters and what their role is in making it happen.
When your team understands how they contribute to the bigger picture and, crucially, why they should care, they become actively engaged in making it happen. They shift from “dependent” participants to “interdependent” contributors.
Why does this matter? How does this help reduce day-to-day distractions and give you more time?
The answer: prioritisation - The key is to master identifying the most important thing and putting it at the top of the list, and saying NO to everything else.
The Teabag Effect: The Dangers of Dilution
Think about when you’re making a cup of tea.
If you don’t let the teabag brew properly then your cup of tea is weak and tasteless.
However if you give it enough time and attention, and with just the right number of dunks…. the flavour is strong, rich and your cup of tea hits the spot exactly how it should.
The same happens when you and your team spread yourselves too thin, working on too many priorities, your efforts become diluted. The impact weakens and the needle doesn’t move.
But when everyone is focused on the same priority, when you channel your business efforts effectively and focus all your energy on the most important thing, that’s when the magic happens.
Your momentum becomes powerful and transformational!
Felt Leadership: It comes down to you and how you show up
Actions speak louder than words
If you say your focus is customer satisfaction, then demonstrate that it really is the priority by empowering your team to make decisions and take action in favour of the customer.
If employee safety is your key focus, then you must be ok with stopping production when something isn’t safe.
In other words you have to be seen to be doing the thing and we need to believe you genuinely care about it.
By leading the way, you’re modelling behaviour and giving others permission to prioritise, make choices and focus effectively. You’re setting the tone for how decisions should be made.
And just like your cup of tea, when everyone in the organisation knows what’s important the result is incredible.
The Strategy House
Your framework for success
I believe the Strategy House model is a fab tool that enables you to communicate your Vision, Strategic Pillars and Key Objectives clearly.
It helps you to make sure that your team understands and “buys-in” to where you want to go, why you want to go there and what you need from them in order to get there.
Why focus on just 90-days?
Big, long-term goals can feel overwhelming. That’s why breaking them down into 90-day sprints is so effective.
A 90-day sprint is a focused period where you and your team work on specific, high-impact actions directly tied to your Strategy House.
This approach works because it:
Eliminates distractions by honing in on what really moves the needle.
Ensures accountability as your team knows exactly what to focus on.
Encourages quick wins that build towards long-term success.
Each sprint should include:
✔ One clear objective (aligned with your strategy pillars)
✔ Key actions to be completed (by the end of the 90 days)
✔ Responsibilities assigned to team members
✔ Metrics to track progress
NB: You don’t have to change the focus every 90 days, but the short sprint allows you to keep momentum and stay on track.
It’s all about communication!
The key is to communicate with your team, check understanding and then communicate and communicate again.
If you ask anyone in your company what the focus is for the next 90 days, they should be able to tell you in one sentence. When your whole team understands the priority, they’re able to work together intentionally and make real progress.
To make an impact, clarity, communication and execution must be at the heart of your business operations:
Clarity – Ensure every team member understands the bigger vision and how they contribute to it.
Communication – Keep an open dialogue with your team and stakeholders so everyone is aligned, informed and engaged.
Action – Prioritise execution over perfection. Take small, strategic steps consistently rather than waiting for the ‘perfect’ time.
And as a leader, you have to lead by example:
Put the focus first and demonstrate how to prioritise effectively.
Reinforce the message by recognising and encouraging positive behaviour.
Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Celebrate progress, provide feedback and start the cycle again.
Ready to get off the hamster wheel?
JOIN US
If you’re tired of feeling stuck in the day-to-day and want to build a structured, sustainable plan to move your business forward, then join me and the brilliant David Searle for our first Clarity & Action 2-day retreat on the 20th and 21st March.
Together, we’ll build your Strategy House, define your 90-day sprint and help you get off that hamster wheel. Simply click on the button to find out more: