Why 90% of Leaders Are Working on the Wrong Things (And How to Fix It in 4 Steps)

I was talking to a brilliant VP a few months ago who told me something that stopped me in my tracks.

“Vanessa, I work 60 hours a week, but I honestly don’t know if I’m working on the right things.”

Sound familiar?

Many competent leaders are struggling to keep their heads above water because everything feels urgent, and they’ve lost sight of what actually matters most.

The result? 

Well, if you fall into this trap too, you are likely spinning your wheels on busy work or putting out fires while the truly important stuff sits on the back burner.

The Real Problem with Modern Leadership

Twenty-five years ago, Stephen Covey wrote about “putting first things first” in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. At the time, the advice was revolutionary.

Today? It’s more relevant than ever, but harder to implement.

Why? Because change is our only constant now. Priorities shift weekly. What seemed important on Monday can feel irrelevant by Friday.

But the most successful leaders aren’t the ones who do everything. They’re the ones who do the right things first.

4 Steps to Prioritizing

You don’t need fancy apps or complex systems to prioritize! Rather, you need four straightforward steps.

Step 1: Brain dump everything 

Write down every single item on your to-do list. Everything. Don’t edit or organize yet – just get it all out of your head.

Step 2: Rate each item A, B, or C

• A = Urgent and important (do these first)
• B = Important but not urgent (schedule these)
• C = Neither urgent nor important right now (delegate or delete)

Step 3: Get your manager’s perspective 

Share your list with your manager and ask them to rate your tasks using the same A, B, C method.

Step 4: Compare and align 

Look at both lists side by side. Where do you agree? Where are you misaligned? This conversation is where the magic happens.

Why This Framework Actually Works

This isn’t just another productivity hack. It’s about alignment.

Most leaders think they know what their boss wants them to focus on. Most of the time, they’re wrong.

When you compare your priorities with your manager’s priorities, you’ll often find surprising disconnects. 

Maybe you’re spending hours on something they consider a C-level task. Or maybe you’re ignoring an A-level priority they assumed you were handling.

That one conversation can save you weeks of misdirected effort.

When your team sees you modeling this behavior, they will start doing it too. 

Suddenly, you have an entire team that thinks strategically about priorities, rather than just staying busy.

The VP I mentioned earlier? Three months after we did this exercise, she got promoted. 

Not because she worked more hours, but because she finally worked on what mattered most.

Your Next Step

Pick one day this week to try this framework. Block off just 10 minutes for steps 1 and 2, then book a meeting with your boss for steps 3 and 4.

I guarantee you’ll discover at least one thing you’re spending too much time on and one thing you’re not spending enough time on.

As a leader, it’s your job to be strategic. 

Learning to focus on your real priorities is one important way to flex your strategy muscle!