By Mandy Green
2 minute read
Are you and your team making the progress you want?
If you were to do a time audit where you track how much time you’re spending on each task during the day, what would the result of your audit tell me? Hopefully it would say that you’re spending 80% of your time on things that are progressing your staff, your territory, and/or your personal growth forward.
I have found that most people often expend their best energy and focus on “B” and “C” priorities because they seem urgent, and they give “A” priorities what’s left over.
John Maxwell, in his book Developing The Leaders Around You, gave a good explanation of what “A”, “B”, and “C” priorities are. I changed his descriptions to make them more admissions specific.
“A” priorities are ones that move your enrollment, admissions department, or job function forward. They break ground, open doors to new opportunities, or develop new markets. They prompt growth within your staff and in your admissions office as a whole.
“B” priorities are concerned with maintenance. They are required for things to continue to run smoothly, such as taking care of all of the details, answering emails or phone calls, and other administrative duties. They are things that cannot be neglected, but they don’t add a ton of value to the organization.
“C” priorities are not important things such as checking social media, gossiping with co-workers, or any other task that really adds zero value to your team.
As you head into the office tomorrow, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Make sure you know what your top priority activities are. Make a list of tasks that you feel are program developing tasks.
- From that list you just made, find 3 program growing activities that you could do this week or next week. It could be something like reading a sales or leadership book, developing relationships with high school counselors who could help you by recommending qualified prospective students, looking at data, creating social proof content, etc.
- Block off time as early in the day as possible where you will work on nothing else but those growth activities.
- At the end of the day or week, reflect on how you did. What went well? Did you stick to your plan or were you easily distracted? What could you have done better?
It is almost impossible to build yourself or your team into what you or it could be if you are choosing only to work on “B” and “C” priorities during the day. You need to know what your growth priorities are, proactively schedule and fit them into your schedule, not allow yourself to get distracted until you have finished, then review and reflect consistently so you can make any necessary improvements.
If you want my help with establishing what you’re A, B, and C priorities are, drop me a note at mandy@dantudor.com.
Have a productive week!