A practical diagnostic for leaders using Altitude, Top Three, and an 85% capacity bar to make prioritization visible to your team.
When priorities aren’t visible, organizations default to optimization: faster motion, thinner impact, and teams that look busy but feel depleted. The fix isn’t another tool. It’s visible prioritization at every altitude—Strategic, Operational, and Ground—anchored by a clear Top Three. Plan to 85% capacity to fund resilience for illness, FMLA, outages, opportunities, and vacations. Enforce tradeoffs for any new work. Pair that with a kill-first meeting rule, a single decision owner per initiative, and a public scoreboard so everyone can see what ladders up. The result: lower decision load, less operational drag, fewer rework loops, and healthier performance you can sustain.
Why it matters
- Reduces rework and shortens decision cycles
- Lowers chronic stress by clarifying choices
- Protects capacity for the unexpected and the strategic
What you’ll learn
- The Altitude + Top Three model for visible priorities
- How to spot and name optimization without prioritization
- Four guardrails that make optimization rare and useful
How do I apply the Altitude method quickly?
Post Top Three at Strategic (annual/quarterly direction), Operational (monthly wins), and Ground (weekly/daily actions). Route new requests to the right altitude or park them.
Why plan for only 85% capacity?
It creates a resilience budget. Anything new displaces something named. Leaders approve the stop, not just the start.
What’s “decision load,” and why is it expensive?
It’s the mental tax of unresolved priorities. High decision load drains focus, sleep, and recovery, slowing work even as effort rises.
How do I find operational drag?
Measure cycle time from start to decision. If it isn’t shrinking, look for excess approvals, duplicate tools, unclear handoffs, and meetings that don’t move a Top Three.
References
- Episode 118: Stop Calendar Decorating: Prioritize First With the Altitude Method
- Episode 112: Microwave or Crockpot: Pick the Right Method for Smarter Decisions
- Episode 83: Mastering the Priorities Puzzle: Are you Walking the Talk?
Are you ready to install a visible priority system? Contact us to help you set capacity guardrails.
