Strategy Implementation
The ability to innovate isn’t just about generating bold ideas-it’s about directing attention toward what truly matters. And yet, many firms and professionals fall into a cognitive trap: treating everything as a priority.
The result? Fragmented focus, shallow progress, and stalled strategic innovation.
But what if the problem lies not in the volume of challenges we face-but in how we define the word priority itself?
In his book "The ONE Thing," Gary Keller (co-founder of Keller Williams) shares a compelling insight: the word *priority* originates from the Latin prior-meaning “the first” or “the main thing” most “the most important”. For centuries, it was used in the singular. Only in the last hundred years did we pluralise it.
That shift wasn’t just linguistic-it was cultural. And it came at a cost.
When leaders and professionals refer to their “top 10 priorities,” they’re not just misusing language-they’re setting themselves and their teams up for diluted focus and possibly even burnout, trying to move 10 different things in 10 different directions. Is there a better way? Try to move one or maybe two things, a long way each time you sit down to work.
In high-performing environments like law, consulting, and financial services, professionals are trained to respond quickly and decisively. But this reactive mindset often leads to a state of perpetual urgency-where all tasks appear critical, and long-term strategic goals are consistently sidelined due to “busy-nes”.
This mental overload stifles any possible innovation that may have existed. It creates decision fatigue, reduces cognitive agility, and fuels a culture where execution is shallow and strategy is performative.
To help break this cycle, we created the UNLOK Strategy Prioritisation Tool-a structured method for moving from reaction to intention.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: List Your Strategic Challenges
Capture the core obstacles or issues currently facing your team, practice area, or firm.
Step 2: Filter Through a Strategic Lens
Assess each challenge not just on urgency—but on alignment with your long-term objectives.
Step 3: Plot on a Matrix
Rank each challenge on two axes:
The issue that lands in the top-right corner-most important and most critical-becomes your one clear priority.
Everything else? It waits.
Cognitive science tells us that clarity reduces mental friction. When leaders and teams have a singular focus, they:
Put simply: when your mind isn’t juggling ten balls at once, it can start solving real problems.
Strategic innovation isn’t about doing more-it’s about doing what matters most, better, consistently.
If your team or firm is stuck in reactive mode, spinning through competing priorities, it’s time to get back to basics. Start with one challenge. Focus deeply. And move forward with purpose.
If you would like to see the UNLOK Prioritisation Tool, reach out to me at leander.opperman@lokonsult.com and I’d be happy to share it with you.
Keller, G. & Papasan, J. (2013). The ONE Thing. John Murray Learning
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