We always struggle to limit our leadership team Rocks to less than seven, and we end up with twelve or fifteen priorities that we only partially complete. How do we build the discipline to ruthlessly prioritize so we only commit to the few Rocks that will actually move the needle?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When everything is important, nothing is important. This is the fundamental truth of quarterly planning. Taking on twelve or fifteen Rocks as a leadership team is a recipe for mediocrity. It guarantees that you will make a millimeter of progress in a thousand directions rather than miles of progress on your most vital goals.

To break this habit, you must embrace the concept of less is more. Start your planning session by brainstorming all potential priorities. Once everything is on the board, begin the process of combining, killing, and keeping. Ask yourself: if we could only accomplish three things this quarter to move the business forward, what would they be?

Force the team to debate and defend each priority. Keep narrowing the list until you are left with three to seven Rocks. If a proposed Rock does not directly move you closer to your one-year plan, it must be shelved for a future quarter. This level of focus requires discipline and can feel painful, but it is the only way to gain true traction. Commit to doing fewer things exceptionally well instead of doing many things poorly.