Setting Priorities: It’s Not Just for Field Operations

As triage experts during emergencies, first responders would seem to be naturals at establishing personal and professional priorities. After all, triage requires them to evaluate victims and situations to make on-the-spot decisions that often have life or death consequences. Thus in non-life threatening conditions, setting priorities would seem to be a walk in the park.

Unfortunately, experience and observation suggest otherwise. The truth is that, outside of emergency situations, even public safety professionals have trouble setting priorities, or more likely, implementing them. Here are some possible reasons why:

–          Indecisiveness due to fear of making the “wrong” choice.

–          Reluctance or inability to make hard decisions.

–          Mistaken belief that good intentions are enough.

–          Low level of importance or urgency.

–          Lack of accountability – i.e., there are no consequences for non-performance.

Consider these facts:

–          Priorities involve choices about how to use time.

–          There can be only one “top” priority: by definition, there is a rank order to choices.

–          Priorities are what you DO, not what you SAY you will do.

–          When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.

Here are ten ways to improve your ability to establish and implement priorities:

Establish priorities:

1. Realistically determine importance and urgency by asking and truthfully answering two questions: (1) “What’s the worst thing that can happen if I do/don’t do XYZ?” And (2) “Can I live with that outcome?”
2. Only people, things, and tasks that are directly aligned with achieving the mission or goals can be priorities.
3. Treat the setting of priorities as a resource management issue: develop realistic, WRITTEN time lines and schedules that indicate when you will accomplish what is needed to achieve each priority.
4. Use effective, easily utilized and understood decision-making tools (e.g., ranking, paired comparison, matrices, other forms of analysis).
5. Specify decision criteria BEFORE you start making choices.

Implement priorities:

1. Have someone hold you accountable for achieving your stated priorities.
2. Set your priorities BEFORE you make commitments that require your time.
3. Focus on the end result or “big picture.”
4. Identify a reasonable number of priorities at any given time; add others as you complete them.
5. Find a process that works well for you and follow it consistently.

If you could do only one thing to increase the quality of your life, it would be this: make self-care your #1 priority – not “one of the top” priorities or “a” top priority, but THE top priority. Why? Perhaps counter-intuitively, tending to your own needs enables you to do a much better job of taking care of others. First responders know this: if they jump into an emergency situation without the proper size-up, equipment, or training, or in spite of an illness or injury, they quickly become part of the problem instead of the solution. The trick is to apply that knowledge back in your offices, stations, and homes. Using the techniques suggested above will help you do that effectively.

© 2013 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.