Building a Priority Culture
Words and the use of words are endlessly fascinating to me. I sat down to start writing and my daughter came in to discuss the definition of overwhelming. Does overwhelming mean huge or confusing, or some of both? We talked about how usage often determines the meaning. Sometimes the way we learn to define words, isn’t really what the word actually means.
Priority is one of those words. It’s not unusual to hear people say, “the priorities are A, B & C.” We live in a world that measures our value by our outcomes. Our contribution is measured by our busyness. A few years ago I read the popular book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. (I recommend it!) McKeown invites his readers to look at a commonly misused word in light of history.
“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality.”
~ Greg McKeown Essentialism
Essentialism is a small but powerful read. One of my favorite ideas from Essentialism, that many others have picked up on too, is our misuse of the work priority. Priority by definition is one thing. The priority is the very first thing. When we hold more than one priority, we actually have no priority. The idea of focusing on one thing sort of rubs against the more is more culture that we live in. Yet, in truth, we can only, ever focus on one thing at a time. When we use priority as it is defined we can actually do more.
I work with a team that is very invested in creating a priority culture. Every six to nine weeks the team meets to identity THE priority, the one thing, that if everyone focuses on the business can make significant and meaningful progress. Each smaller group thinks about how their area can support the priority. The team sets two or three goals for each smaller working group (marketing, tech, business development, etc.) This is a surprisingly effective way to work. With each new priority, there is urgency and focus that directs the actions of the team. This team gets stuff done and consistently moves the business forward. Sometimes a priority is set for one month, other times the priority is for three months. The leader is always watching to see when one priority has been met and looking for factors inside and outside of the business that would indicate it is time for a new priority.
“Everything changes when we give ourselves permission to be more selective in what we choose to do. At once, we hold the key to unlock the next level of achievement in our lives. There is tremendous freedom in learning that we can eliminate the nonessentials, that we are no longer controlled by other people’s agendas, and that we get to choose. With that invincible power, we can discover our highest point of contribution, not just to our lives or careers, but to the world.”
Greg McKeown
Questions:
- What is your priority?
- How can you order your life to better support your current priority? (Remember, you can shift your priority as often as you need!)
- How can you create a priority culture in your workplace?
