We all wanna be using our time wisely at work. We want to be focused on top-priority initiatives and projects. Otherwise, what are we doing here?

And yet something I keep hearing in organizations across the board is that the top priorities change with the wind. Like, yesterday we were all supposed to be chasing new customers, and today we’re focused on retaining existing ones.

What to do about changing priorities at work

Or yesterday “innovation” was the buzzword of the moment. New ideas were the thing. Today though? Nope – it’s all about improving the basics of customer service.

Or yesterday there was talk of big, strategic investments designed to prepare us for the future. But today? Cost-containment is the thing. Do more with less and all that. 

Truth is, all of these things matter. Building new ideas and new relationships, as well as supporting and nurturing existing ones. Investing wisely and also saving money. 

The problem isn’t what the priority is, but rather how exhausted everyone feels trying to keep up. I’m hearing from people that they’re putting their hearts and souls into a project only to learn days later it no longer matters. And they need to start from scratch. Again. 

This kind of exhaustion – the kind we get from corporate whiplash – isn’t sustainable. So, what can we do at any altitude if this is a problem plaguing our organization?

Broadly, we need to be taking more time to pause and reflect. And ask ourselves some questions. Here are a few I’ve been sharing recently with clients.

Is this shift reactive or strategic?

Companies should be paying attention to external factors – to competitors and customer demands and marketplace changes.

And those factors should influence our decisions. But only once we’ve been thoughtful. There’s a big difference between reacting and responding, strategically.

The former is a reflexive action. Like one day we’re focused completely on acquiring new customers and then suddenly, a big customer ends their contract. And instantly the whole company needs to shift direction, focusing completely on customer retention. That’s a reaction – a panic reflex.

What I’d encourage senior leaders to do in this situation is pause and reflect before steering the whole company in a new direction.

Did this customer leave because something truly is broken in your service delivery model? Or did they leave because they’re doing their own cost containment? Or because they’ve automated a new solution? If the problem truly is your model, then sure. Change the focus. But do a little research before you make that change. Because there might be a simple explanation that has nothing to do with your service delivery.

Understand how much of a toll that kind of shift takes on your workforce, and make the decision thoughtfully.

Now if you’re a citizen in this organization, how can you play a role in helping senior leaders find some clarity before they change direction? Do you have data to suggest this really was a one-off scenario? Have you seen a competitor make a similar pivot and fail? What insight – or even ideas – do you have that might help your senior leaders make a more thoughtful choice?

We all have a part to play here.

Listen also: When it feels like everything is an emergency, how can you manage your work without taking on the weight of the world? Rachel shares her favorite strategies for keeping your priorities in check. Listen in the following player: 

What thread can be pulled through?

Even in times of change, there will be some points of consistency. And helping others – or even yourself – see and hold onto what’s staying the same can offer a sense of grounding. Of stability that might stave off some of the exhaustion.

So sure. Maybe yesterday it was about innovation and today the sexy thing is saving money. But is there a place where those things might intersect?

If you’re an employee on the ground, can you spot an opportunity to innovate in a way that actually simplifies or streamlines something? Maybe your company uses two different technologies to manage your outbound marketing campaigns and all your analytics. But you see a way to consolidate it all into a single system.

Driving both innovation and cost-containment in one. And if you’re a leader, how can you articulate a story for your team (a true one – not fiction!) that shows consistency over direction-change?

Maybe you talk about how the company’s #1 priority is – and has always been – delivering products in the most environmentally friendly way. Maybe last month there was exploration of investments in green technology. But the focus today is on keeping costs low to ensure you’re able to continue paying fair rates to frontline labor.

Remind your team that your highest purpose – equity and eco-consciousness – remains the focus, even if the work beneath it has shifted.

What’s the smallest way to honor the new priority?

Here, the question really is this: Must you toss out what you were working on last week? Or is there a way to tweak and shape your current work to fit the new priority?

Maybe you work in healthcare. And there’s been a recent shift in focus from delighting patients in a really custom way, to driving consistency for the sake of efficiency.

So before you toss out that amazing set of ideas you designed for the purpose of delighting patients, ask yourself: is there anything in here that could also serve the new consistency and efficiency priority?

After all, some patients would be delighted by nothing more than getting called into their appointment on-time rather than hours late. Others might be delighted by knowing that whomever registers them or takes their blood pressure – will be following the exact same process every time. And they take comfort in that predictability – no surprises.

In other words, focus on discovering whether a new priority really and truly is new – a departure from the old. Or whether it’s maybe just a gentle shift.

And maybe rebranding a pivot as a minor shuffle will be just the thing to keep exhaustion at bay for you and your team.