Reach out using the form below and we’ll respond as soon as possible. We appreciate your interest.
Thank you! Your submission has been received! Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Focusing is vital for success. An ‘even over statement’ is a declaration of priority. Generate company-wide strategic priorities in the form of even over statements.
By Gustavo Razzetti
Prioritization requires clarity but, most importantly, sacrifice. Saying yes to what’s important is easy. It’s what you say ‘no’ to that defines your success.
You become what you focus on.
An ‘even over’ statement is a declaration of priority. You are saying that you will prioritize one good thing even over another good thing.
Use this tool to establish clear team priorities. Your team will become what they focus on.
Getting rid of negative, meaningless things is easier. The challenge is prioritizing among good things.
An ‘even over’ statement is an action-driven tool. It will help you choose one good thing even over another good thing.
At Fearless Culture, when we kick off a culture or team transformation project, one of the first steps is understanding alignment. That includes asking individuals to define priorities using “even over” statements.
As you might imagine, when we compare everyone’s notes, there’s usually a huge gap. Not only are priorities unclear, but people have a hard time prioritizing – especially between two good things.
Here are some examples of “even over” statements:
Duration: 30-min session (or more, depending the complexity of issues and team size).
Participants: Everyone who can inform and should decide upon key priorities within a particular team. Prioritize diverse perspectives/ backgrounds even over hierarchy.
Team size: Ideally, no more than 5-7 people
Steps:
1. Share the goals and purpose of the session
2. Ask everyone to share the goals, purpose, desired behaviors, objectives, etc. that the team wants to achieve in the short and long term
Participants should capture single ideas on one post-it. Everyone should write as many as they can. Stick all post-its to a wall.
Cluster post-its in case people share similar concepts but using different wording.
3. Ask people to –individually– write even over statements using the following formula:
(Choice A) even over (Choice B)
Durability even over style works for a company like Ikea.
Wow our customers even over profit captures Zappos’ customer-centric approach.
4. Share out and consolidate ‘even over’ statements. Allow time for people to provide feedback and comments before moving on to the next step
5. Vote even over statements using a 1-5 scale.
6. Choose the top 3. (some folks recommend 5, but I like to keep it simple and focused)
7. Spread the top 3 even over statements across the organization/ team.
8. Be open to feedback – especially to ensure clarity and understanding.
Pick a facilitator. They need to be unbiased and guide the process. The facilitator should push back to ensure priorities are clear.
Revisit your priorities on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. Changing your priorities constantly can be as bad not changing them ever. Monitor results and market changes to see whether you need to readjust or clarify your priorities.
Prioritize business even over individual happiness. Don’t let groupthink get in the way of what’s right. When selecting and voting on priorities, everyone should focus on what will help the overall team and organization, not their personal interests.
