Leadership Tip

How to prioritise your work

If you work for a hands-off manager who doesn’t give you a ton of guidance, it falls on you to set priorities for your work. You can focus on the right things by asking yourself two questions:

  1. “What is my highest contribution?” Consider the organisation’s needs and your unique strengths, experience, and capabilities. But don’t only focus on what you’re good at.
     
  2. “What am I passionate about?” Think about the projects and tasks you find most inspiring and where you’re able to make the most impact. Focusing your efforts there will motivate you to put in extra effort.


The goal is to prioritise those activities and initiatives that show up on both your high-contribution and high-passion lists, while delegating or saying no to the daily churn of low-value and low-energy-producing activities, emails, and meetings.


The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme, and adapted from How to Prioritise Your Work When Your Manager Doesn’t by Amy Jen Su. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.

Unlock your potential

Whether face to face, or over the telephone, we can develop your leadership skills, support you in making important decisions, and help you reach your potential.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 questions leaders should never ask

Leadership is often portrayed as having the right answers. In reality, great leadership is more about asking the right questions. Questions can open minds, build trust and encourage innovation. Equally, they can shut down discussion, create... read more

10 ways to build your team

Everyone would like to be part of a dream team - a group of people, each skilled in their own discipline, pulling together to achieve more than they ever could alone. Yet while most organisations talk about teamwork, they still tend to reward individual... read more

10 weekend habits of purposeful leaders

The most impactful leaders know that success doesn’t come from working around the clock - it comes from working with intention. And that includes how we spend our weekends. While weekdays often revolve around performance, the weekend is a chance to reset... read more

Leadership Tips

HOW TO FIX SOCIAL CARE

Social care has defeated successive governments because every proposed solution becomes an argument about who pays, who qualifies and what the state should provide. Yet Britain is hardly alone in facing an ageing population and rising care costs. Other... read more

HOW TO MAKE HOPE CREDIBLE

In uncertain times, one of your most important responsibilities as a leader is to give people a reason to keep moving forward. But hope doesn’t come from ambitious visions or optimistic promises alone. If your aspirations outpace what people believe is... read more

HOW TO LEAD WHEN UNDER PRESSURE

Pressure reveals how you instinctively respond when decisions matter most. Some leaders rush. Others hesitate. Some become controlling, while others retreat. The challenge is not to eliminate those instincts, but to recognise them and develop the... read more