The 3 R's of Priority

 It is safe to say that being busy does not mean you are productive. It must also be said that leaders never reach a point where they do not have to prioritise their activities. A diary full of activity doesn’t guarantee accomplishments. In fact, the higher you climb up the successful leader ladder, the more important successful prioritising becomes.

Pareto’s 80/20 Principle suggests that 20% of your effort will produce 80% of your rewards. There is  a big “BUT” attached to that principle – but you must select worthwhile activities that will bring reward.

So, how do you, as a leader, select the “better” activities to get more bangs for your sweat? By utilising the 3 R’s of Priority of course. The 3 R’s of Priority are three questions the leader can ask to determine if an activity is really worth the effort:

1.        What is Required? A leader must know what is required of and for them in order to succeed. We often take on tasks and activities that either we shouldn’t be doing or aren’t for us to do. The tasks that a leader should prioritise are tasks that nobody else can or should do. If you are doing a task that is not necessary – eliminate it! If you are doing a task that someone else could do – delegate it. Tasks left on the list should be tasks that require your attention as a leader. These tasks are “Glass Balls” and should not be dropped!

2.       What will give the greatest Return?

   No leader has made it big by spending time and effort working on their weaknesses. As a leader, you must spend your time working on areas of your strengths! By all means grow – get out of your comfort zone – but please – stay within your strength zone. If it is something you do well, you will get a good return on your effort, if not – delegate it to someone who has strengths in that area.

3.       What will provide the greatest Reward?  Passion will fuel you, and increase your energy, making the task easy and rewarding. But also focus on tasks that bring rewards – that carry benefit. Don’t waste time and energy on tasks that offer no rewards for you or for the team.

The top 20 activities or goals will bring the team 80% of the success. It is important to focus your efforts of these goals or activities. Seeing rewards flood in will fire your team’s passion and energy levels.