Over the last few weeks, I’ve been feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the number of tasks I’m responsible for. As the CTO of a services company, I’m involved in nearly 80% of all discussions that are not project-specific (and often in those as well). This means that deciding what to focus on at the start of my day is often a struggle.
This morning, before doing anything else, I decided to define my concept of priority. To my surprise, I was able to come up with a definition that encompasses everything I find valuable for both the company and the team.
Before diving into that, I need to define the North Star. Companies differ in processes, people, and culture, but one characteristic most of them share is their main goal: to make money. However, there are values they might be willing to sacrifice that I am not. The quality of life—both for me and my team—is a good example.
Therefore, the North Star for my definition of priority is:
A task that increases either company revenue or the quality of life for my team, where one must not contradict the other.
To help me decide what I should work on each day, I came up with two tools.
1. A High-Level Definition
This helps me quickly regain perspective when I find myself with tunnel vision, focusing on a task purely for personal satisfaction. I ask myself if the task falls into one of these categories:
- Stability
- The task maintains or improves the company’s current revenue.
- Quality of life
- The task enhances the team’s ability or happiness.
- Growth
- The task supports revenue growth.
If the answer is an easy “no” for all of the above, it means the task has no place in my workday. It likely doesn’t fall within my responsibilities, so I either delegate it or drop it entirely.
If the answer is “yes,” I move forward with it. However, every single day, I have more tasks than I can accomplish. To prioritize effectively, I created the following scale of priorities:
2. The Scale of Priorities
Will it increase the company’s revenue?
- It will bring in new contracts.
- It will increase the size of existing contracts.
- It will strengthen our ability to execute current contracts.
Will it enhance the team’s ability to deliver quality work?
- It will improve the team’s technical skills.
- It will boost team morale and work satisfaction.
Will it increase our chances of future success?
- It will improve the likelihood of securing larger or more contracts in the future.
- It will strengthen our ability to handle contract expansion.
By following this approach, I can easily categorize each task and act accordingly!