As a leader of people, it's important to understand how prioritisation can improve well-being, engagement, and performance in your business. However, often businesses and managers struggle with prioritisation because they avoid two of its key building blocks:
Making time for planning
2)Developing the ability to say no
Making time for planning is an important part of prioritisation, as it helps to set clear objectives and provides the framework for how to achieve those objectives. It also helps to ensure that focus is maintained and that energy is directed toward the most important tasks.
If you don’t make time for planning chances are you’ll not do it. The busyness of life and business takes over and planning gets neglected.
Imagine taking your team on a rowing trip across the Atlantic and getting so busy rowing your don’t stop to check the map… there’s a high likelihood you’ll end up in the wrong place or worse still going around in circles. The ability to say no is also key - if you take on too much and spread yourself too thin, it can lead to overwhelm and burnout. As a CEO or manager, it’s important to set realistic expectations and ensure clarity around what can and can’t be achieved within a certain timeframe. Saying no can be a difficult but necessary skill to develop in order to prioritise effectively.
You say yes to too much because it’s the easy option in the short term. It avoids the confrontation of saying no. It also feels safe because by saying yes you won’t be responsible for missing out on an opportunity… but the truth is when you say yes to everything you can’t achieve anything (other than creating a culture of stress and burnout).
“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”
Prioritisation is a crucial skill to have in a business, as it can help to improve well-being, engagement, and performance. By taking the time to plan and to be able to say no, companies and managers can ensure that they are focused on the most important tasks and that they can achieve their objectives in a timely and efficient manner.
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Author
Mike Jones Better Happy Founder
Mike founded Better Happy in 2018.
He now works with a variety of businesses ranging from small accountancies up to large organisations such as Travelodge on improving employee happiness. Mike's vision and the vision of Better Happy is 'Every employee happy, every business thriving
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