To avoid being pulled in multiple directions, new leaders should not only define their top priorities but also publicly state which issues are being 'tabled' for later. This provides a clear framework to deflect distractions from executives or reps, forcing them to justify why their idea is more important than the stated priorities.

Contrary to the popular advice to 'hire great people and get out of their way,' a CEO's job is to identify the three most critical company initiatives. They must then dive deep into the weeds to guarantee their success, as only the CEO has the unique context and authority to unblock them.

Kareem Amin rejects the standard practice of weekly 1-on-1s with all direct reports. Instead, he holds them with individuals, regardless of reporting lines, who are central to the company's most important current initiatives (e.g., Head of Sales during a growth push). This aligns CEO time with strategic imperatives, not org charts.

One of the most effective ways to build trust and demonstrate a senior, company-first mindset is to proactively kill your own initiatives. This shows you share the same incentives as leadership—optimizing for company outcomes, not just protecting your own projects and accumulating resources.

A colleague praised Dick's CMO not for her new initiatives, but for her ability to prioritize by stopping historical activities. True strategic focus requires actively de-prioritizing and freeing up resources from less important tasks.

CEOs can maintain focus by co-creating a simple one-page strategy with their board. When board members later propose off-strategy ideas, this document becomes a powerful tool to re-center the conversation and ask whether the new idea is important enough to displace an agreed-upon priority.

True strategy involves making tough choices about what not to do. Many executive teams resist this, preferring to keep all options open. This attachment to optionality leads to weak, unfocused strategies where everything is a priority, spreading teams thin and hindering real progress.

To prevent team burnout and maintain focus, leaders must adopt a strict rule: never add a new priority without agreeing to stop doing something else. The word 'priorities' is a misnomer, as a team can only have one true priority at a time. This discipline forces clarity and prevents overload.

To handle feature requests from customers or your team without getting derailed, create a 'not right now' list. This validates the suggestion and shows leadership by prioritizing, but protects the team's focus on essential work, preserving morale and focus.