Priorities on Offense

Over the last two weeks we’ve talked about protecting priorities from Suzie’s seven notecards to the 3-question check. But those are defensive plays.

You can’t win on defense alone. Priorities don’t move forward just because you protect them. They move when you go on offense. That’s the fun part of the game.

Offense is more active. It’s the ruthless discipline required to move a priority forward. Not just keeping distractions out, but moving with clarity and dedication so that nothing gets in the way.

I know this because I’ve been living it. My last day as a business owner was 12/31/24. January 1 was a whole new world, and it began with one clear priority: find an exceptional CEO or founder to support with a big vision and a generational goal.

That priority became my filter. Every decision was easier and every distraction more obvious because there was only one outcome I was working toward. Looking back over these last 8 months, I realized I’d built a framework for making priorities real. Distilled down, I came up with four offensive moves that will drive any priority forward.

Now they’re yours to run with.

1. Define One. You can’t score if you don’t know where the goal is. A real priority is singular, specific and refined. It should be simple enough to repeat often (and you should) to your team and to your principal. The best priorities tie directly to the company vision, or at least move it forward.

2. Break It Down. Translate the priority into the fewest possible actions. These are subtasks: the actual steps you take to achieve the priority. To be clear, subtasks are not new priorities; they’re execution actions. Done right, this list is very satisfying because it makes the priority feel both achievable and actionable.

3. Filter Everything. Every decision runs through one ruthless question: Does this get us closer to the priority? If not, it’s a no (and clearly distraction). There will be plenty of shiny objects along the way and most aren’t meant to be picked up. The best leaders are more proud of their “nos” than their yeses.

4. Track & Adjust. Not every subtask moves the needle. Some will stall, some will surprise you. The discipline is to measure progress, not just activity. Track what’s working, cut what isn’t and double down on the subtasks that actually advance the priority. Over time, this will separate a list of tasks from a true offensive playbook: the willingness to adjust, refine and keep momentum pointed at the goal.

For Chiefs of Staff, this is the job.

Protecting priorities matters, but offense is where your real value shows up. It’s exciting (fun) to turn an idea into progress and progress into momentum.

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