How to Prioritize GROWTH Without Sacrificing Operations
By Nicole Needles
Driving strategic growth while maintaining daily operations can feel like juggling chainsaws – especially for material handling leaders under pressure to evolve in a rapidly changing industry. Andrea Jones, speaker and founder of AJC® and The Executagility® Company, understands that tension all too well.
Jones has a strong foundation in science, engineering and business. She started at Intel Corporation in 2000 after getting her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. While working full time in her first year, she completed her MS program in Semiconductor Chemistry in 2001. In 2004, she attended MIT in Boston for her MBA/Master’s in Engineering dual degree through the Leaders for Global Operations program. She finished this program in 2006, returned to Intel and began to consult.
From the start, she was determined not to be the kind of consultant who offers advice and walks away. Her approach has always centered on execution, seeing initiatives through to completion and ensuring measurable results. Today, she continues to help organizations align around priorities and build momentum with a focus on follow-through, not just planning. At this year’s MHEDA Convention, Jones led a workshop on this simple framework with tips all coming from her company’s Executagility Model®. She shared with attendees practical strategies leaders can use to prioritize initiatives, allocate resources and take action – without burning out their teams.
Start With a Simple Framework
Jones encourages leadership teams to set aside 90 minutes each quarter to list every initiative they want to pursue, no matter how big or small. Then, they apply a clear set of criteria to prioritize those ideas.
She uses three simple questions to help leaders get started: “Will this help us grow? Improve operational efficiency? Create happier customers or employees?” Jones suggests tweaking these criteria based on current realities. For example, “Tariffs might still be an issue next quarter,” she explains. “So maybe your filter becomes: What doesn’t cost extra money? What’s relevant no matter what happens with tariffs? What leverages new technology like AI?” This process helps teams sort “someday” ideas into what will truly move the needle right now.
One common mistake that leaders make when tackling growth, Jones said, is when they try to bite off more than they can chew. They immediately start assigning tasks or giving objectives with only a vague idea of where they want to end up. This can lead to frustration and confusion, ultimately putting a halt to the project while disrupting daily operations.
To avoid this, leaders should ask, “What are we really trying to achieve?” From the answer to this question, create a short-term, and more importantly, specific plan that everyone on the team shows they understand. If teams don’t know where they’re going, they won’t be motivated to get there.
“This level of clarity acts like a GPS. Once you have it, every project, every task, every meeting becomes easier to evaluate. Is it helping us get closer to our vision, or is it a distraction? Without that filter, even well-intentioned teams can veer off course,” Jones said.
Visualize the Load
Once priorities are set, Jones urges leaders to assign a sponsor to each initiative and visualize who’s doing what. Is the same person listed on five projects? That’s a red flag. “They’re probably not going to have time for all of them,” she said.
Her advice: Start small. “If you’re really worried, just pick one thing to focus on for the first quarter. That’s it.”
Starting small is the best way to go, but how can leaders prioritize and vet projects so that they can create a clear vision for the rest of the team? The series of criteria mentioned earlier, utilized by Steve Jobs, can narrow down the long list of company goals. If the project is not aligned with the company’s immediate objectives, is not realistic given the budget and staff and does not give the company a competitive advantage, it can be set aside.
“For example, this quarter a company might say: ‘Yes, we want long-term growth, efficiency and happy customers. But right now, tariffs are volatile, and we can’t add new expenses,’” Jones said. “That means their criteria might include low-cost initiatives, internally focused improvements that are valuable regardless of external shifts and a way to take advantage of emerging technology, like AI.”
This process turns a giant wish list into two or three high-impact, achievable initiatives. Then, you assign a sponsor to each one and map out who’s doing what. And most importantly, you make sure you’re not overloading the same person with multiple high-priority projects. This visibility helps ensure the plan is not only strategic but also realistic.
From Overwhelmed to
Operational Success
To illustrate the power of this process, Jones shared a success story from her time as a consultant. A president of a $40 million company had just completed an ERP implementation and found himself overwhelmed by 37 unspoken improvement ideas and the need to land major new accounts. His team was confused by his sporadic requests, unsure how to act on the flurry of daily directives.
Jones stepped in to guide them through the prioritization process, using the same simple criteria. They quickly landed on two key initiatives, including clearing a backlog of over 3,000 invoices created during the ERP transition.
Each day, they held 15-minute standups using a shared Excel sheet to track commitments and blockers. One recurring obstacle? Interruptions.
“Turns out everyone was being constantly interrupted by managers who didn’t realize they were part of the problem,” Jones said. The solution: signs and curtains during focus hours. “It was simple, but it worked.”
By the end of the 10-week period, the backlog was cleared, on top of their regular invoice workload. Even better, the team has kept up the sprint process ever since.
“I talked to Brad, the president, in April,” Jones said. “They’ve been sprinting for 48 months straight. We worked with them for five or six months, and they’ve kept going on their own. That’s ROI.”
Use AI as a Thought Partner
Jones notes that leaders don’t have to do it alone. She often uses AI tools like ChatGPT to “spill out” ideas and have them summarized.
“I’m an auditory thinker and visual learner,” she said. “So being able to say it out loud, see it in writing and reflect on it helps me avoid becoming overwhelmed.”
In fact, her team is currently working on developing AI tools that will guide this entire prioritization and execution process. “We’re building it because who else is going to do it?” Jones said.
One Thing. That’s It.
Even with the process broken down into simpler steps, some leaders may still be hesitant to take on a growth initiative. When they start to think of all of the things they want to accomplish or backlogged projects they’d like to catch up on, it starts to feel like a pipe dream.
Jones offers clear encouragement: “Here’s the good news: you don’t have to do everything. You just have to do one thing.”
She points to bestselling books like “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and the work of strategist Dan Sullivan as reinforcement that singular focus is a proven path to success.
She also emphasizes the psychological relief of writing things down. “People try to prioritize in their heads, but that’s more overwhelming than putting it on a whiteboard or a piece of paper,” she said. “When it’s visible, it doesn’t get lost. That’s why people use sticky notes—so they won’t forget.”
Once all of the thoughts and ideas are out, the only thing that matters is narrowing down the options with the processes Jones laid out, and doing that well in the next quarter. Taking small steps can help familiarize leaders with the process and can also be an encouragement to continue down the path to success.
Grow as You Go
In a fast-paced industry where change is constant and demands are high, Jones offers a grounded, practical approach for leaders striving to grow without losing control of daily operations. Her message is clear: Growth doesn’t have to be chaotic. With a simple framework, clear priorities, visual accountability and a willingness to start small, teams can make steady progress without burnout. Whether it’s leveraging AI for idea generation or carving out time each quarter to reset and refocus, the key is not doing everything – it’s doing the right things well. One initiative at a time.
Ready to Execute Growth?
Visit the Executagility® website for training and resources, including the Field Guide that provides the processes in this article in module format for easy comprehension and completion. Please visit executagility.com/books-training or contact andrea@executagility.com to learn more.
Article Takeaways
1. Use a Simple Framework. Prioritize initiatives each quarter using clear criteria tied to current business needs.
2. Make Work Visible. Assign owners, map responsibilities and avoid overloading team members.
3. Start Small. Focus on one high-impact initiative at a time to build momentum and avoid burnout.
