"The greats never sacrifice the important for the urgent"

It's easy to get caught up in small but urgent matters, isn’t it? Your phone's buzzing, emails are piling up, and there's always a fire to put out. And, oh, it’s always more exciting to jump into new industry trend, rather than stick to your good old strategy, right? But here's the cold, hard truth:

constantly prioritizing the urgent over the important is a recipe for mediocrity, not greatness.

So, what does it mean for you as a leader?

First off, urgent doesn't equal important. That's a trap many fall into, and it's costing them big time. Think about it - when was the last time you sat down and truly focused on your company's five-year strategy? Or invested time in developing your key players? These crucial activities often get pushed aside for the "urgent" day-to-day operations.

Take Amazon's Jeff Bezos, for instance. While others were scrambling to meet quarterly targets, Bezos was thinking decades ahead. He famously said, "I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?' And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?' And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two."

This long-term thinking led to innovations like AWS, which now accounts for the majority of Amazon's operating income. That's what happens when you don't let the urgent crowd out the important.

But let's get practical. How do you actually implement this in your day-to-day?

1. Ruthless prioritization

Not all important tasks are created equal. Identify the top 3-5 strategic priorities that will move your business. Everything else is noise.

2. Time blocking 

Carve out non-negotiable time for important, non-urgent activities. I personally block out every Friday afternoon for strategic thinking and long-term planning. No meetings, no calls, no exceptions.

3. Delegate the urgent

Build a team you trust to handle the day-to-day fires. Your job as a leader is to focus on what only you can do - steering the ship, not swabbing the deck.

4. Embrace discomfort

Saying no to urgent matters feels wrong at first. You'll face pushback. People will be upset. But remember, your job isn't to make everyone happy - it's to drive the business forward.

5. Regular strategic reviews

Monthly or quarterly, step back and assess. Are you focusing on what truly matters? Or are you just busy being busy?

Now, I can already hear some of you protesting. "But what about customer emergencies? What about market shifts?" Fair points. I'm not advocating for ignoring genuine crises. But let's be honest - most "urgent" matters aren't true emergencies. They're just poorly planned projects or someone else's priorities masquerading as your emergency.

Remember Kodak? They were so busy meeting the urgent demand for film that they missed the important shift to digital photography. The result? Bankruptcy. Don't let that be your story.

Here's a hard truth: If you're constantly firefighting, you're not leading - you're reacting. And reactionary leadership is an oxymoron.

Great leaders create the future. They don't just respond to it. They have the courage to stay focused on what truly matters, even when it's uncomfortable. They understand that true innovation and growth happen in the white space - those moments when you're not scrambling to meet the next deadline.

So, the next time you're tempted to push aside that important strategic initiative for yet another "urgent" task, remember: The greats never sacrifice the important for the urgent. They have the vision to see beyond the immediate and the discipline to stay focused on what truly matters.

Are you reacting to the urgent, or are you shaping the important? Your answer to that question will determine whether you're on the path to greatness or just spinning your wheels.

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.