Candice and Chris discuss the leadership topic of prioritization through the lens of learning to let the right things go. There are times when we think we’re superheroes and can do more things than are humanly possible. We have our jobs, our families and friends, our passions, and ourselves to serve and it can be overwhelming to look at the unending list of things to do and emotions to manage. The only way to focus on the most important things is to let the right things go. Chris shares the concepts of 1) speaking truth to power to align resources with expectations, 2) developing goals for alignment, 3) managing the tyranny of the urgent, 4) focusing on internal improvements that you can control, and 5) managing your response to other’s people’s urgency. Candice shares her perspective on 1) keeping the important things in the air while juggling, 2) aligning priorities with personal values and goals, and 3) turning rejection into redirection.

Chris introduces the Eisenhower Matrix tool. More information is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT89OZ7TNwc and https://asana.com/resources/eisenhower-matrix

Candice Solomon-Strutz and Chris Tidrick are IT leaders at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and collectively have more than 50 years of experience working in higher education. Candice is currently the Director of IT Partners at the College of Applied Health Sciences and Chris is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Director of IT Partners at the Gies College of Business.