Why Priority is Critical in the Design of a Leader

The first leadership design principle.

July 31, 2023
Arrows pointing different directions

Visual hierarchy and priority

Where your eyes are drawn in good design is no accident. Whether it’s a painting, a website, or a living room. Visual hierarchy draws your eyes to what’s most important then guides them through the design story.

Visual hierarchy uses various tools to demonstrate what has priority in a design. Some of those tools include:

  1. Size
  2. Placement
  3. Alignment
  4. Color
  5. Contrast
  6. Negative space

I dive deeper into a few of these in my Leadership Design Guide but first, let’s look at how priority is lived out in a leader.

Visual hierarchy draws your eyes to what’s most important then guides them through the story of the design.
Does life ever feel like a hack rather than on purpose?

First things first

For a leader to be effective, they must have ordered the priorities in their life. This involves both what we think and what we do.

Take out a piece of paper and write out your top five priorities, not your priorities for today or this week but the priorities of your life. When you’ve written them down, number them in order of importance.

How did it go? Did they come to mind quickly? Did any surprise you? Do any of them, or the order of them, make you uncomfortable? Maybe this was your first time identifying your life priorities, or perhaps they’re already printed on your wall, and you just copied them down. Wherever you are on the journey, this next exercise should help provide some clarity for you.

What matters at the end of the day?

When a UX designer creates a website, they are focused on the call to action. What do they want you to do when you come to the page. This call to action is the clear success criteria by which to evaluate the design of their app or website? Similarly, let’s consider what will be the measure of success for your life and your leadership.

This may seem a little weird, but imagine it is the day of your funeral. The significant people in your life have gathered to remember and celebrate your life. What will they celebrate? How will they describe you? What stories do they tell? What themes emerge as people share? Think about the most important people in your life: your spouse, children, parents, and closest friend. Imagine them specifically; what do they each say? Beyond the fluff, what’s the core message they have about your life.

Goals vs. priorities

The exercise above can often be unsettling. It uncovers that we haven’t really differentiated between goals and priorities. Goals describe some things we want to accomplish. Priorities describe what’s important.

When I take the time to think about it, it’s not my accomplishments I desire people to share about; it’s how I treated them as people. Did I live my life for myself or others? I hope my kids share that I wasn’t too busy for them. That when they wanted to play, I was available. As a goal-oriented, driven person, this was a sobering gut-check. I’ve done this exercise many times, and it continues to be effective in reorienting me to my priorities. I move from “What will I accomplish?” to “How have I loved others?”

When you put your priorities into words, you may experience many different emotions. You may be excited and energized by the focus. But you may also be sobered by the gap between what you have identified as essential and how an observer might describe your life. You can’t go back and change the past, but you can redeem it through decisions made today.

…we haven’t really differentiated between goals and priorities. Goals describe some things we want to accomplish, priorities describe what’s really important.

A 5-day journey to living from your priorities

It’s easy to spend our day reacting to what comes at us. What if you could be proactive, intentionally making decisions based on your priorities? It is possible!

Our five-day short course guides you through the process of identifying your life priorities and scaling them day to everyday decisions. You’ll learn how to establish a rhythm to build good habits and grow a team that will be with you in the journey.

Scaling your priorities

When you don’t identify the big priorities that have a hierarchy in your life, something takes its place. Your daily goals scale up to become your priorities. As I discussed earlier, goals don’t make the best priorities. Instead of scaling goals up, you want to scale our priorities down.

You move from “How will I steward my life?” to “How will I steward this hour?” I like the word steward because it highlights that I'm not indeed the owner of my life. Your life is a gift, and you steward that gift. Stewardship isn’t about control but intentionality and often submission to one another.

Instead of scaling goals up, you want to scale our priorities down.

Let’s try this with one of your priorities. Choose one from the list. I’m choosing “Being present (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) with my family.” I want my wife, children, and friends to describe me as being present and engaged when I was with them. Now I scale that priority from the scope of my life to the scope of this year and ask the question, “What will it look like to be present and engaged this year?”

Scaling down to the everyday

This might lead me to evaluate if I’m stewarding my time and money to make time to get away with family or friends. I might look at what time I begin and end work on an average day. I might reflect on what most often prevents me from being present with others. Last year this led me to ruthlessly remove almost all of the notifications on my phone and create spaces in my house to place my phone, so it wasn’t always on me.

You can continue to scale down to asking about this month, week, or even “What will it look like the be present and engaged today?” Sometimes when I ask this question, it leads me to reschedule part of my day because it is out of balance with my priorities in a way that I’m not ok with. While you can plan for a month, a quarter, a year, or even a lifetime, you make decisions in moments. These moments, individually and in the aggregate, shape your life and the lives of those around you. Creating a cadence of review can help you continue to evaluate and course correct according to your priorities.

Action Plan

Working through your life’s priorities isn’t easy, but we need to lean into this essential work. You can begin your journey of living by your priorities today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Team Leadership

What is team leadership?

Team leadership is a management approach focused on leading and guiding a group of individuals working together towards a common goal. A team leader is responsible for providing direction, support, and guidance to the team members, while fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Team leadership involves setting clear goals and expectations for the team, communicating effectively, and building trust and relationships with team members. It also involves empowering team members to take ownership of their work and contribute their unique skills and perspectives to the team's success.

Some key characteristics of effective team leadership include:

  1. Communication: Team leaders communicate clearly and effectively with their team members, keeping them informed about goals, expectations, and progress.
  2. Vision and strategy: Effective team leaders have a clear vision for what they want to achieve and a strategy for how to get there, while also being flexible and adaptable when necessary.
  3. Empowerment: Good team leaders empower their team members to make decisions and take ownership of their work, while also providing support and guidance as needed.
  4. Trust-building: Team leaders build trust and strong relationships with their team members, creating a positive and productive work environment.
  5. Results-oriented: Finally, effective team leaders are results-oriented, focusing on achieving goals and driving performance while also valuing the well-being and development of their team members.

Overall, team leadership is a collaborative and empowering approach to management that values communication, trust-building, and results-driven performance.

Learn more about leadership.

What are the different styles of team leadership?

There are several different styles of team leadership, including:

  1. Democratic leadership: In this style, the leader encourages open communication and participation from all team members in decision-making processes.
  2. Autocratic leadership: This style involves the leader making decisions and taking control over the team's direction, often with little input from team members.
  3. Transformational leadership: This style focuses on inspiring and motivating team members to achieve their full potential, often by setting a clear vision and communicating goals effectively.
  4. Servant leadership: A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their team members, focusing on serving and empowering them to achieve their goals.
  5. Laissez-faire leadership: In this style, the leader provides minimal guidance or direction, allowing team members to take ownership of their work and make decisions independently.
  6. Transactional leadership: This style involves setting clear goals and expectations for team members and providing rewards or discipline based on performance.
  7. Situational leadership: This approach involves adapting one's leadership style to fit the specific situation or needs of the team at any given time.

Overall, each style of team leadership has its own strengths and weaknesses, and effective leaders may use a combination of different styles depending on the situation and the needs of their team.

Learn more about leadership.

What are the different skills required for team leadership?

There are several key skills required for effective team leadership, including:

  1. Clear: Team leaders must be to communicate effectively with their team members, setting clear expectations and goals, providing feedback, and keeping everyone informed about progress and changes.
  2. Active listening: Leaders need to be able to listen actively to their team members, hear their concerns, ideas, and suggestions, and work collaboratively to find solutions.
  3. Empathy: Good team leaders value empathy, recognizing and understanding the perspectives of their team members, and working to build trust and strong relationships
  4. Decision-making: Leaders must be able to make informed decisions based on available information and input from team members, while also being decisive when necessary.
  5. Problem-solving: Effective team leaders must be able to identify and solve problems that arise within the team, working collaboratively to find creative and effective solutions.
  6. Motivation and empowerment: Leaders must be able to motivate and empower their team members to take ownership of their work, overcome challenges, and achieve their full potential.
  7. Delegation and management: Team leaders must be able to delegate tasks effectively, manage resources and timelines, and oversee the work of the team to ensure quality and efficiency.

Overall, effective team leadership requires a combination of interpersonal, decision-making, and management skills, as well as the ability to inspire and empower team members to work collaboratively towards shared goals.

Learn more about leadership.

What is servant leadership?

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.

A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.

Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:

  1. Empathy: Servant leaders value empathy, placing themselves in the shoes of their followers to better understand their needs and motivations.
  2. Listening: They are active listeners, taking the time to listen to their followers' concerns, feedback, and ideas.
  3. Commitment to development: Servant leaders prioritize the growth and development of their followers, providing opportunities for learning and development.
  4. Humility: They recognize their own limitations and seek input from others to make informed decisions.
  5. Stewardship: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, working to create a positive impact for all stakeholders.

Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.

Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.

Servant Leadership

What is servant leadership?

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.

A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.

Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:

  1. Empathy: Servant leaders value empathy, placing themselves in the shoes of their followers to better understand their needs and motivations.
  2. Listening: They are active listeners, taking the time to listen to their followers' concerns, feedback, and ideas.
  3. Commitment to development: Servant leaders prioritize the growth and development of their followers, providing opportunities for learning and development.
  4. Humility: They recognize their own limitations and seek input from others to make informed decisions.
  5. Stewardship: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, working to create a positive impact for all stakeholders.

Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.

Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.

How can servant leadership be beneficial in the workplace?

Servant leadership can be beneficial in the workplace in a number of ways, including:

  1. Improved employee engagement and job satisfaction: When employees feel supported, valued, and empowered by their leaders, they tend to be more engaged and satisfied with their work.
  2. Increased collaboration and teamwork: Servant leaders prioritize communication, collaboration, and trust-building, which can lead to stronger relationships and more effective teamwork.
  3. Higher levels of productivity and innovation: When leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and contribute their ideas, it can lead to higher levels of productivity and innovation.
  4. Reduced turnover and absenteeism: Employees who feel supported and valued are less likely to leave their jobs or call in sick, leading to reduced turnover and absenteeism rates.
  5. Improved organizational culture: Servant leadership can create a positive organizational culture that values growth, development, and well-being for all stakeholders, which can lead to improved morale and outcomes.

Overall, servant leadership can lead to a more positive, productive, and fulfilling workplace environment, benefiting both employees and the organization as a whole.

Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.

How does servant leadership differ from other leadership styles?

Servant leadership differs from many other leadership styles in several key ways:

  1. Focus on serving others: Servant leaders prioritize the needs and well-being of their followers over their own interests, while many other leadership styles focus more on achieving organizational goals.
  2. Empathy and listening skills: Servant leaders value empathy and active listening skills to better understand the needs and perspectives of their followers, while some other leadership styles may be more focused on asserting authority or making decisions without input from others.
  3. Collaboration and teamwork: Servant leaders prioritize collaboration and teamwork, seeking to empower and develop their followers to achieve their full potential, while other leadership styles may be more focused on competition or individual achievement.
  4. Humility and accountability: Servant leaders view themselves as stewards of their organization, prioritizing the well-being of all stakeholders and taking responsibility for their decisions, while some other leadership styles may be more focused on personal ambition or avoiding blame.

Overall, servant leadership is characterized by a focus on serving others, prioritizing empathy and collaboration, and taking a humble and accountable approach to leadership. While other leadership styles may be effective in different contexts, servant leadership can be a powerful tool for creating positive change and empowering others to reach their full potential.

Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.

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