Savage Prioritization: The Art of Ruthless Focus in Leadership
The hardest choice a leader faces is determining where to focus. While multitasking and addressing numerous priorities may seem productive, it often leads to diluted impact, inefficiencies, and burnout. Enter Savage Prioritization, a methodology I’ve honed over the years, which emphasizes relentless focus on a single, well-defined priority. The idea is simple but transformative: choose one priority, align all organizational efforts to achieve it, and continually reassess its relevance to ensure success.
This isn’t just a methodology—it’s a mindset. Savage Prioritization requires courage, discipline, and a commitment to outcomes over optics. Let’s dive into its principles, challenges, and real-world applications.
The Core Tenets of Savage Prioritization
Define the Singular Priority: Every organization has a myriad of goals, but Savage Prioritization demands choosing the one that will have the most significant impact. This is the priority that, if achieved, will make everything else easier or irrelevant.
Align Projects and Resources: Once the priority is defined, every project, resource allocation, and meeting must align with it. Anything not serving this priority is deferred, delegated, or discarded.
Adapt to Change: Savage Prioritization doesn’t mean being rigid. It requires constant reevaluation of the priority based on new data, market shifts, or organizational needs.
Communicate Relentlessly: Clarity is the cornerstone of this methodology. Leaders must ensure that everyone in the organization understands the priority, their role in achieving it, and why it matters.
Why Savage Prioritization is Essential
Savage Prioritization works because it counters a universal problem: distraction. In most organizations, too many initiatives compete for attention, leading to fragmented efforts and mediocre outcomes. By narrowing focus, organizations can achieve:
Better Resource Utilization: Teams and budgets are deployed where they’re most effective.
Faster Decision-Making: With a clear priority, choices become straightforward.
Stronger Team Morale: People are energized when their work has clear purpose and measurable impact.
Superior Results: Concentrated effort on one goal yields higher-quality outcomes.
Real-World Examples of Savage Prioritization
Apple’s Turnaround Under Steve Jobs
In 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company was teetering on bankruptcy. One of his first actions was to slash Apple’s product lines from dozens to just four: one desktop and one laptop each for consumers and professionals. This singular focus on simplifying the product line became Apple’s priority. By channeling all resources into perfecting these products, Apple not only survived but laid the groundwork for its meteoric rise.
Jobs famously said, “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” This epitomizes Savage Prioritization: eliminating distractions to focus entirely on what matters most.
Amazon’s Early Days
When Amazon started, its priority wasn’t profitability—it was customer experience. Jeff Bezos insisted on offering a vast selection of books, competitive pricing, and fast delivery. To align with this priority, Amazon reinvested every dollar back into the business rather than chasing short-term profits.
This relentless focus on customer satisfaction built a foundation of loyalty and trust, enabling Amazon to expand into other verticals and eventually become one of the world’s largest companies. By prioritizing customer experience over immediate gains, Amazon created long-term value.
Southwest Airlines’ Operational Focus
Southwest Airlines’ enduring success stems from its unwavering focus on being the lowest-cost airline. To achieve this, the company prioritized operational efficiency. For instance, Southwest exclusively used Boeing 737s to simplify maintenance and training. It also pioneered the quick turnaround of flights at the gate, allowing more flights per day.
By prioritizing cost-efficiency and aligning every operational decision to this goal, Southwest not only maintained profitability but also built a brand synonymous with reliability and affordability.
How to Implement Savage Prioritization
1. Define Your Priority with Precision
Ask yourself: What single outcome will make the biggest impact on my organization’s success? This could be:
Achieving product-market fit for a startup.
Reducing churn in a subscription-based business.
Scaling revenue from a key product line.
The key is to focus on one priority at a time. A singular, well-defined goal provides clarity and ensures that all efforts contribute to measurable success.
2. Conduct a Strategic Audit
Review all ongoing projects, meetings, and resource allocations. Ask:
Does this contribute to the priority?
Is it essential now, or can it wait?
Can it be delegated or stopped entirely?
By auditing and eliminating initiatives that don’t align, you free up resources to focus on what matters most.
3. Create Organizational Alignment
Alignment is critical for Savage Prioritization to succeed. Leaders must:
Communicate the priority clearly across all levels of the organization.
Regularly reinforce the importance of the priority in meetings and updates.
Empower teams to challenge activities or projects that don’t serve the priority.
For example, when Netflix transitioned from a DVD rental service to a streaming platform, CEO Reed Hastings made it clear that the company’s priority was to lead the streaming revolution. This clarity ensured that every department—from content licensing to engineering—aligned their efforts with this goal.
4. Monitor Progress and Adapt
Priorities are not static. Market conditions change, new opportunities emerge, and unforeseen challenges arise. Leaders must:
Set measurable goals and regularly track progress.
Be willing to adjust the priority if it no longer aligns with strategic objectives.
Stay focused, but not inflexible.
Overcoming Challenges in Savage Prioritization
Pushback from Stakeholders
Not everyone will agree with sidelining certain initiatives. Address this by clearly explaining the reasoning behind your decisions and showing how the priority aligns with broader organizational goals.
Temptation to Multitask
It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking on additional priorities, especially when opportunities arise. Savage Prioritization requires discipline to stay the course until the current priority is achieved.
Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain
Aligning resources to one priority often means making sacrifices in the short term. This can be difficult, but the long-term benefits of focused execution outweigh the temporary discomfort.
The Leadership Mindset of Savage Prioritization
Savage Prioritization requires a mindset shift:
From Doing Everything to Doing the Right Thing: Leaders must recognize that success comes from doing fewer things exceptionally well.
From Managing to Leading: Focused priorities demand visionary leadership to inspire teams and drive alignment.
From Reactionary to Proactive: By setting and sticking to a priority, leaders take control of their organization’s destiny rather than reacting to every new challenge or trend.
The Takeaway: Choosing What Matters Most
Savage Prioritization isn’t just a framework—it’s a philosophy of leadership. It’s about embracing the power of focus and empowering your organization to achieve extraordinary outcomes through disciplined execution. Whether you’re a startup founder chasing product-market fit, a Fortune 500 CEO driving transformation, or a team leader navigating complex challenges, Savage Prioritization provides the clarity and structure needed to succeed.
The question isn’t whether you can do it all; it’s whether you’re willing to do what matters most. What’s your priority today?
