A McKinsey colleague, curious about my policing experience, once asked me, “What was the most difficult aspect of leading a police force?”
The biggest challenge was not the riots or hooligans. It was that everyone thought that everything was urgent and top priority.
If the High Court issued an order, it was top priority. When the government issued orders, they were also top priority. Crime control, traffic management, VIP security — all top priority.
My colleague thought that it made sense — after all you are handling people’s lives. But no matter your job, everything can’t be a top priority, just as every student can’t be a class-topper.
In fact, even in war, a general prioritizes some war theater over others, though lives are at stake everywhere.
When everything is a top priority, nothing gets prioritized. That is when everyone runs around like headless chickens.
As an entrepreneur with limited resources and a small team, I wouldn’t have survived without selectively prioritizing ONLY a few things.
Do less. Focus more. Pick a few battles. Deprioritize the rest.
It is the hard way, but also the easiest way.
– Rajan