Ever think there’s just too much to do all at once right NOW?!
Yeah. Me too. My brain is often buzzing with all the things that need doing … NOW!
They’re all priorities.
But wait. Did you know that it was only in the early 1900s that the word “priority” became plural? Up till then, for the 500 years from its initial documented use in the 1400s, it was singular.
Think about that. I mean, seriously: how can there be more than one most-important thing?
Priority comes from the word prior, which means to come before something else. A priority is the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others.
(That’s from vocabulary.com.)
Leaders deal with a lot. Even when there’s no change initiative underway, there’s still a ton of Stuff on a leader’s to-do list.
It helps to remember the very old saying, “Haste makes waste.”
And I also find the Navy SEALs’ adage “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” to be a useful reminder when my brain is buzzing with All The Things I Need To Do RIGHT NOW.
Um, nope. There’s only one priority. And when that’s complete, yes, sure, another priority can step up. And yes, it’s helpful to have a ranked list of what’s important.
Just don’t call them all “priorities.” Let’s go back to the original use of the word and stick to just one priority at a time.
Change often includes overwhelm – all those things that need doing NOW. Which means an important aspect of leading change has to do with making sure your people aren’t overwhelmed and trying to do … all the things NOW. Want some ideas on that? Drop me a note through my contact form and we’ll set a time to talk.