2023.06.04

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It’s inspiring to hold a shiny vision for how the world could be made better through your work.

It feels good to have multiple opportunities and ideas for creating impact.

But your organization or team can’t do everything. Choices must be made.

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Prioritization is always important in work.

Lots of leaders seem to avoid making challenging decisions when they involve tradeoffs.

It is uncomfortable to consciously decide not to do a thing of value even when the reason is you are devoting time or resources to a different thing of value.

The “even over statement” is the most effective construct I’ve found to help leaders establish true priorities in the face of many good activities/options.

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An even over statement contains two positive/important things and specifies which is more important.

For example:

• new features even over customer service
• impact even over following a plan
• candid feedback even over harmony
• perfection even over speed
• more clients served even over depth of experience
• quality programming even over increased donations
• laser focus on current strategy even over high-profile opportunities
• employee well-being even over deadlines

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What would it take to get you to try using even over statments at work when you direct your team?

Do you think you'll get push back from those above you if you try to pin them down on priorities?

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