With many different variables, and hundreds of possible permutations, what is the most important thing? If you are clear on what is most important, it makes it easier to assess the options and move ahead with the work that matters. The best [[On Leadership|leaders]] have done the hard work to decide what is most important and communicate this within the organization. This can't be the list of most important things, it needs to be the single most important thing. From CEO down, if you can communicate what is most important, people aren't left guessing about values, which allows them to apply the most important thing to their own work, ultimately reducing bottlenecks. Many leaders don't know what the most important thing is... which often results in the team going to the person in charge of all decisions, large and small. Not only is it wildly inefficient, but it gets in the way of empowering your team to do their best. **So what can we take away from this:** 1. As a [[On Leadership|leader]]/mentor, no matter what level you are in your organization, set some time aside to think about what is most important. 2. Communicate what is most important—yes, just the one thing—and give your team a framework for making decisions with the important thing in mind. 3. Assuming they do keep the most important thing in mind, you can't get upset if things go wrong. Doing so will cause the team to stop making decisions and will reduce their sense of ownership—resulting in poor quality in the long run. ![[most important.png]]