Prioritise with intent

Prioritisation takes place every day in every organisation. However, if priorities are not set at the strategic level, judgement calls are pushed down the chain to management and delivery staff.

Aside from being unfair, this means trade-offs aren't driven by strategy. Instead, they're driven by capacity, capability and unpredictable external factors.

My thoughts: Organisations should worry less about selecting the wrong priorities and more about failing to prioritise at all. Because continuing to add new "priorities" is not a strategy—it's a formula for exhaustion.

"When we don't give our teams clear directions about what NOT to do, and just keep piling it on, we drive engagement and productivity downward. If everything is treated as a priority, then nothing really is."

When we don't give our teams clear directions about what NOT to do and keep piling it on, we drive engagement and productivity downward. The fact is, if everything is treated as a priority, then nothing is.

The three lenses of strategic focus

Strategic focus operates like a camera lens - zooming in and out to sharpen our attention and illuminate our perception.

1. Awareness

Right-size the decision frame with a deep understanding of the internal and external context. Acknowledging gaps and bias early sets the scene for targeted action.

2. Alignment

Precision alignment builds ownership and underpins performance. A strong line of sight creates confidence, momentum and clarity from decision to delivery.

3. Intention

Prioritise with intent. Courageous leaders make strength-based trade-offs at the strategic level, empowering whole organisations to succeed.