No business is immune to chasing multiple rabbits. No business has 100% focus on its top priority at all times. But – manufacturing leaders seem to fail at this more often than leaders of other industries. There are so many things to work on, so many potential areas of improvement, that we work on all of them. They’re all so important, how can we not work on them all right now?
Unfortunately not. Sometimes you have to let great opportunities pass you by, because when everything is a top priority, nothing is.
Without a clear priority, it’s easy to lose focus, spread resources too thin, and miss opportunities for impactful change. This happens at all levels of the organization, not just leadership. If your team doesn’t know what’s most important, you can’t blame them if they’re not working on it.
Prioritization isn’t just about making a to-do list — it’s about identifying and committing to the actions that will make the biggest difference for your company and your role as a leader.
Prioritization for Manufacturing Leaders
I’ve said it before – at all times, every company has one optimal strategic initiative that will make everything else easier, more effective, or completely unnecessary. As leaders, it’s our job to identify that optimal initiative or get as close to it as possible.
In this post, we’ll explore three critical components of prioritization for manufacturing leaders:
- Identifying Your Most Important Opportunity
- Planning Your Most Important Initiative in that Opportunity
- Determining Your Most Important Role in that Initiative
1. Your Most Important Opportunity
Your most important opportunity is the overarching goal or strategic focus for your company. It’s your keystone goal — the one thing that matters most right now. This opportunity can be strategic, financial, or even personal, but it should remain the same for at least 90 days at a time so you can make meaningful progress without committing for too long.
Strategic Opportunity Example: Targeting Growth Opportunities
Think of your most critical growth levers. Are you expanding into new markets, introducing a new product line, or strengthening your position with key customers? For example, if your team has identified a high-growth customer segment, your most important opportunity could involve tailoring production capabilities, refining your marketing approach, and ensuring your sales team is equipped to engage effectively.
Financial Opportunity Example: Unlocking Resources
Cash flow can make or break a manufacturing business. Decreasing AR turnover by a set percentage or number of days could free up resources to invest in technology upgrades, workforce training, or strategic partnerships. Tying financial goals directly to larger strategic outcomes ensures your efforts cascade through the business.
(PS – Because all of our most important opportunities are big-picture plans, all three categories are “strategic”. The differentiator is that financial is only focused on finance, while strategic opportunities may have no impact on finances for months or even years.)
Personal Opportunity Example: Finding Time to Lead Strategically
As a leader, you set the tone for your organization. Yet, many manufacturing executives get pulled into daily operational tasks and never step back. They’re great in the business but they never work on the business. Your most important opportunity might be carving out time to think strategically, visit key customers, or even recharge so you can lead with clarity.
Action Item: Define your most important opportunity. Ask yourself: If I could accomplish just one thing this quarter, what would have the biggest impact on our company’s success?
2. Your Most Important Initiative
Once you’ve defined the opportunity, you need a clear initiative to achieve it. There could be a series of initiatives required, but one has to happen first. Initiatives bridge the gap between high-level goals and day-to-day execution. They provide a roadmap, ensuring the organization’s energy is directed toward what matters most.
When creating a plan for your most important initiative, consider three key factors:
Setting Clear Goals
Start with the outcome in mind. For example, if your opportunity is reducing lead times to capture a new customer segment, your goal might be to achieve a 15% reduction within three months. That’s time-bound, specific, and measurable. Sweet. We’ve all heard of SMART goals and this one hits the nail on the head.
Once you have your goals, make sure your team is clear on what success and what failure is for each target.
Assigning Ownership
Resist the temptation to step in and do everything yourself! This is where most manufacturing leaders drop the ball. Identify the right person—or team—to own each aspect of the initiative. A clear owner ensures accountability and avoids the burnout that often arises when responsibilities are spread too thin. Empower your team by providing the resources, authority, and support they need to succeed.
(We’ve written before about being Resilient vs. Stable; empowering your team is resilient, doing everything yourself because it’s easier in the moment is stable.)
Allocating Resources
Even the best plans fail without proper support. This might mean investing in upgraded equipment, approving overtime hours, or reassigning personnel to focus on this priority. Don’t underestimate the cost of delay — ensuring the initiative has what it needs now can save time, money, and headaches later.
Action Item: Identify the key initiatives for your opportunity identified in section 1 and break them into actionable steps. Assign responsibilities, establish timelines, and commit the necessary resources.
3. Your Most Important Role
As a leader, your role in any initiative must be intentional. Don’t just fall into a level of involvement accidentally or because that’s how it started. Make a plan!
One of the most common pitfalls is failing to define how you should show up for each priority. Depending on the situation, you may need to step into one of three key roles: guide, manager, or doer.
The Guide: Empower and Enable
Being the guide means setting the vision, removing obstacles, and trusting your team to execute. For example, if your opportunity involves improving plant safety, your role might be to articulate the “why,” secure executive buy-in, and ensure the necessary systems are in place. Let your team take the lead on the details while you focus on alignment and motivation.
The Manager: Monitor and Drive Progress
If the initiative requires tighter oversight and you don’t have a great person for that role, you might need to take a more managerial approach. This could mean holding regular check-ins, setting clear performance benchmarks, and ensuring timelines stay on track. For example, if reducing AR turnover is your opportunity and you don’t have a CFO, this opportunity might involve you actively monitoring metrics, meeting with your finance team, and troubleshooting bottlenecks.
The Doer: Take Direct Action
Sometimes, the success of an initiative hinges on your direct involvement. This could be negotiating a key deal, troubleshooting a complex technical problem, or stepping in when the team lacks the expertise or bandwidth. Be cautious about overcommitting here—only take on the “doer” role when absolutely necessary. This should be a last resort and should be avoided at all costs. Your goal as a leader should be making yourself obsolete, so limit your involvement toward taht end.
Action Item: Evaluate your involvement in the initiative you outlined in step 2. Ask: What does this initiative need from me right now? Am I empowering, managing, or directly contributing? Is that the right approach? Adjust your approach as circumstances evolve.
Conclusion
Effective prioritization is a skill that separates reactive leaders from proactive ones. Remember – there are good things to work on every day. Really good things. But there are fewer great things and only one optimal thing. Strive to spend as much of your time working on the optimal thing every day and you cannot lose.
Call to Action: Which of these areas are you lacking? Do you lack a clear opportunity? Do you struggle to clarify initiatives to achieve your #1 strategic goal? Where can you improve your prioritization process to make the biggest impact? Take the time to reflect, refine, and act. Your keystone goal — and your team — depend on it.