Staying Accountable When Managing Several Initiatives

CoSes + EAs: Consistently prioritizing [who] without the [why] only leads to burnout, but thankfully, there’s a way to protect yourself from this. While prioritizing based on “who is asking” can be a natural default, especially in an EA's role, it is not sustainable. When your reason for action solely comes down to who, you will find yourself in a continuous loop of prioritizing real-time asks only until the next one rolls in, which, in some cases, could be minutes. You'll also likely find yourself prematurely taking others down rabbit holes that could've been avoided altogether. Imagine the EA with a mile-long to-do list, dropping everything to tackle the latest request in their inbox solely based on who the sender is. Or the CoS overseeing a handful of projects with multiple deadlines, dropping everything for the latest and greatest idea their Executive raised during a meeting. For roles that already require great multitasking, comfort with ambiguity, and tolerance for no two days being the same, the goal is to create order within the chaos, not enable it. The good news is that this can be avoided or corrected by implementing a small detail that can yield significant results: 💥Qualify the ask💥 1. What's the desired outcome? 2. What is the expectation around time? 3. How does this map to current goals + prios? 4. Who else needs to be looped in to get it done? 5. Does this depend on something else I'm working on being completed first before moving forward? The real hack to productivity is knowing when to slow down to speed up, and by qualifying the ask, you: 1. Act as an objective thought partner. 2. Make sure purpose is tied to action. 3. Minimize opportunity for misalignment. 4. Get context for gaining buy-in from others. 5. Drive accountability, including for the Executive. And if prioritizing or proceeding doesn't make sense, you now have all you need to confidently challenge the idea or request. Remember, your job isn't to always say yes to everything. Saying no to the wrong things allows you to say yes to the right things. ———— ♻️ If you found this helpful, share it with others!

Do you end your week feeling like WTF did I do all week? Startup life is full of those moments.  You’ve got a million priorities but you know focus is the only way to win. I've messed this up a lot and saw the direct impact on team morale & company output. Here’s a simple set of rituals I follow to hold myself accountable (it’s not perfect but it works) Sharing for all my founder friends, early stage builders, and anyone who wants to ship more of the right stuff. >> MONTHLY RITUAL Start with monthly to set up the BIG priorities. Schedule in calendar 1 hour on the last day of the month for reflection & planning 1/ Reflect on the last month in writing: what did I do well / what am I proud of? What could I have done better? What did I learn? How can I do better next month? 2/ Grade myself on goals (letter A, B, C, D, F with description) 3/ Read previous month's goals & reflections to identify any themes 4/ Set goals for the next month (3 personal & 3 Pocus) >> DAILY RITUAL 1/ Block first 3 hours of day for "heads down work" (if only get 1 hour, that's okay, better than nothing!) In those 3 hours, ONLY work on initiatives that move the needle on the top 3 Pocus goals 2/ If an issue/project/idea is not in the top 3 goals (which in startups, something will come up throughout the day!), spend as close to 0 time on it. Tell your team this is not a priority right now, so will pick it up later. 3/ At the end of the day, group my to dos by goal. If in the goal, block time the next morning to work on it. If not, send an email or slack reminder to myself to pick it back up next month. What do you do to hold yourself accountable to creating focus?

Most people don’t follow through. That’s the truth I’ve seen in 13+ years of professional experience — and in my personal life. They say they’ll do something. You count on them. And then? Nothing. Sometimes it’s a small task. Sometimes it’s a big commitment. Either way, someone said they’d do something — and they didn’t. It’s one of the most common and costly patterns I’ve seen. Not because people don’t care. But because something gets in the way. When people don’t follow through, it usually comes down to one of two things: ➡️ 1. Them (Mindset, fear, habits, internal blocks) ◾Fear of failure ◾Perfectionism ◾Procrastination ◾Lack of clarity ◾Mental overload ◾Relying on motivation instead of discipline ➡️ 2. Their Systems (Tools, time management, communication breakdowns) ◾Forgetting to write it down ◾Underestimating how long it will take ◾Taking on too much ◾No clear deliverables ◾No reminders or follow-up ◾Not communicating when something changes Whatever the reason, the result is the same: ◾Trust declines ◾Credibility takes a hit ◾Reliability gets questioned ◾Your reputation suffers ◾People hesitate to rely on you ◾And deep down, you know it That’s exactly why I take execution seriously. It happens to be one of my greatest strengths — as recognized by colleagues and confirmed by my Clifton StrengthsFinder results. Not because I’m perfect. Far from it. But because I've built systems that help me stay accountable: ◾Written and electronic reminders (project trackers, Post-it notes, planners) ◾Clear deliverables and realistic timelines ◾Gut-checks on my actual capacity ◾Communicating promptly when something shifts ◾Asking for support when I feel stuck No one wants to be micromanaged. We just want to trust that when someone says they’ll do something that they actually will. So here’s the reminder: ◾Write it down ◾Set the reminder ◾Follow through ◾Communicate if things change ◾And if you’re stuck, ask for support Don’t ghost. Don’t disappear. Don’t assume silence is okay. Follow-through builds trust, which is the foundation for everything in work and in life. ➡️ Have you experienced this too, personally or professionally? ➡️ What helps you follow through and execute consistently?