In the previous blog, I talked about creating a set of aligned priorities for your team. Getting aligned with your colleagues is a great start, but if you’re constantly focusing on everyone else’s priorities, how are you supposed to get your own work done? At some point, you need to put your head down and get focused. That’s why I encourage teams to manage priorities by assigning tasks one of three different levels, which you negotiate upfront.
Level I: Own It and Drive It
These are your core priorities — the outputs for which you’re taking accountability and initiative. That means you’re on it. You’re creating the plan, engaging the people you need, driving, following up. These are the one or two things at the top of your priority list. Everyone on the team knows you’re on point for this.
Level II: Responsive, Not Driving
These are tasks that are further down your priority list. You’re not driving them forward, but when the lead asks you for something, you’re Responsible and Responsive. These are topics you’re monitoring out of your peripheral vision and jumping in when you’re needed.
You build your schedule with time to accommodate these requests and check in to make sure the lead has what they need. These activities aren’t getting your most productive time of day, but they are getting done.
Level III: Deliberately Tuning Out
This is the priority level we don’t talk about enough on teams. This is the list of things where you’re deliberately tuning out. You’re imposing boundaries to protect your attention and warning your colleagues of your Inattentiveness.
- “I’m NOT monitoring this topic.”
- “I DON’T have time held in my calendar for that.”
- “I’m DECLINING those meetings.”
It is so HEALTHY to have things that you don’t attend to. Now, if someone needs you, they need to reach out — and they also need to help you reprioritize, because your commitments were based on not having to be involved in that activity.
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If you spend all week hyper-attentive, monitoring everything, responding to every email and giving your two cents, well, you’ll be broke and busted. You won’t get your own work done. Instead, negotiate with your team about who’s accountable and driving, who’s responsible and responding, and who’s tuned out and ignoring. It will make a huge difference.