Protecting Priority
and how to create consistency
Maybe you've prioritised things in your life and business, but how to stick to it?
Maybe you're able to follow it, but your team is not able to do it consistently.
So, to make it consistent, point out the consequences every single time they miss it. The first few times they do it on their own, give them a part on their back, or have a mini celebration about it in a team meeting.
This is the specific method to get consistency.
Now, let's apply it to priorities. You forget to set them for the day, and jump into some urgent activity. What happens? Maybe an important point falls through the cracks and does not happen on time. You loose a potential client to a competitor because of that.
What's done is done. When you realize the consequence, just look for why that happened. Go to the root. So, the first reason is you got too busy to prioritize for the day. Then, look at why that that happened, and so on. You get the picture. Do the same for your team members.
This becomes a complete system when done every single time. I'm stressing on every because that's the part that makes it work.
In fact, it's best to put it on record every single time too.
Once you do this, look at what can be done to make sure it won't happen again. For example:
Set priorities the previous night
Schedule time in advance
Keep buffer time aside for unexpected emergencies
Train and empower people on how to deal with some of the firefighting on their own
See to it that everyone knows that you have bigger things to focus on
Reward people who solve problems directly and efficiently
Etc.
That's all folks!