Prioritizing amidst chaos

Every company has a clear purpose. For NAFCU’s, just look to our mission statement:

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions is a strong, independent, direct membership association committed to advancing the credit union community through its relentless focus on membership value in representing, assisting, educating and informing its member credit unions and their key audiences.

The statement is clear, but you and I know one’s mission statement isn’t fulfilled in a vacuum. We have to set clear priorities – for ourselves and for the team we put in place to advance the mission.

While leaders are often pulled in several directions at once – meetings, travel, adding a new product or project to our arsenal – we must define set priorities amidst the chaos. And no, not everything on your calendar can be classified as a priority. Harvard Business Review states, “if everything is called a priority, then nothing is.”

Inc.com recommends that an organization’s list of priorities not exceed three to five items representing “the most critical tasks to achieving your aspirations.”