Is your team trying to juggle too many things at once? In theory, the problem is clear. In practice, however, it can be difficult to prioritize projects effectively. The result? Teams get sidetracked and important milestones are missed. In many cases, one word is enough to break the deadlock: No!
It is a paralyzing pattern that occurs in many companies. Let’s call it the “everything is important syndrome”. It mainly affects middle management. There seems to be an unspoken obligation to complete every given task. Project number 37 by the end of the year? “Let’s take it on!” An urgent task from the management board? “That has absolute priority!” The annual specialist conference: “Who can make it happen?”
Even seasoned managers are not immune to this. The main reasons are these three psychological mechanisms:
The desire to please everyone: your own department, board, external stakeholders, academic peer group, etc. Social desirability (“people pleasing”) can lead to us getting mercilessly bogged down:
“The congress doesn’t actually fit into our schedule, but we don’t want to offend the organizers. That would be too unpleasant.”
“We’ve always done it this way.” Routines supposedly give us security. We often cling to them for far too long. The gut says “yes” and the mind frantically searches for reasons why this is a good decision:
“We have always attended the event for 10 years. Networking is important, we must not let it slide!”
The feeling of missing out on an opportunity makes us say “yes” without thinking, for example to a new technology that promises prestige. But hype is the enemy of common sense.
“Let’s start the AI Automation PoC right this month, we want to keep up!”
Management teams that are driven by these mechanisms often do not really prioritize, but merely postpone deadlines. In the end, they still keep everything on the agenda. But real prioritization always means not doing things.
If you try to get everything done, you won’t get anything done properly. This is because employees are struggling to keep their heads above water. Projects easily run off schedule and quality suffers all the more.
Quite a few managers find it difficult to reject requests and consistently reduce the number of projects. “Pushback” is seen as a risk, even a career brake. Yet the exact opposite is true: a strict focus on the important issues boosts performance.
Clarity about goals is the decisive factor here. A CEO of a German company that we supported in a project set an example. He defined the three top strategic priorities and repeated them throughout the year. In every meeting, every town hall, every interview.
He thus provided reliable orientation. Managers and employees knew that if a task did not contribute to one of these three topics, it was not important. Period.
Especially in phases with several critical projects, a radical focus prevents mistakes. How many audit findings could be avoided if those responsible and their teams didn’t have too many balls in the air?
Companies that place value on performance free themselves from misunderstood performance thinking. Performance is not about doing as much as possible, but about doing the essentials. Focus is the most powerful tool that managers have.
Too many balls in the air? In practice, it is often not possible to prioritize projects effectively. The result: teams get sidetracked, important milestones are missed. What breaks the deadlock?
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2021 Grosse-Hornke