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Susan Shapiro

Having trouble focusing on priorities?

Let’s assume you have a couple of work priorities involving teams or groups of people. If you are struggling and cannot move forward on your priorities let’s look closely at them and apply some best practices on managing change. One place to start is to look at the John Kotter Change Model and other sources. Other models may help you look at your priorities in a more strategic and holistic way.

12 Questions to ask yourself

  1. Have you defined what must happen? What is the why?

  2. Do you have a coalition?

  3. Have you created a sense of urgency?

  4. Do you have stakeholders named?

  5. Have you articulated your vision?

  6. Have you gotten others on board?

  7. Are you focusing on the innovators and early adopters?

  8. Do you need resources? Have you fought to get them?

  9. Have you gotten rid of obstacles or created strategies to work around them?

  10. Where will you get some quick wins?

  11. Have you been really greedy with your time in order to make space for this priority?

  12. What are you saying yes to? What are you saying no to?

Role Clarity

Just as we stated in the last post, role clarity must happen. Use RACI charts, get it documented so all on the team know their roles, responsibilities, and ownership. Who is accountable? Do the key people have authority to push this forward?

There is nothing like going through a RACI exercise to discover you have huge problems with clarity. Put the time into driving crystal clarity. Empower your people to define who is the R, A, C, I on key processes. This can help you gain more time for your most strategic priorities.

Discuss with a mentor, boss or trusted peer

Once you have this priority well defined and structured, it’s time to discuss with others close to your work. Tell them to poke holes in your plan.  Ask for feedback from a wider perspective. You may think it is a key priority, but check in with others, for maybe you are thinking too small. Or, it is a great priority and maybe they can help you make it happen. Find out how it connects to their priorities. Define WIIFT. (What’s in it for them) to enlist their support in your priority.

Be brutally relentless

Finally, be brutal with your priorities and realize if it is not worth fighting for, maybe it is not a priority.

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