Most managers these days feel that they have too many conflicting priorities to deal with, and CIOs are no exception. A fair number of initiatives pursued to spur growth fail, and that is largely because of incoherent sets of priorities, write researchers Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi in a post at HarvardBusinessReview.

When coming up with a new strategy, executives often begin by seeking areas for growth, but this can lead to diminishing returns, Leinwand and Mainardi warn. "There are an infinite number of ways that a company can try to grow, and simply brainstorming them will immediately lead to a long list of initiatives. That will soon become an endless litany of priorities, and a large number of conflicting claims on your attention," they write.

A growing list of conflicting priorities not only drains a leader's time and resources, but it also corresponds to declining growth in revenue, the researchers found. It turns out that leaders with between one and three strategic priorities were the most likely to report higher than average revenue growth.

Companies with coherent priorities--where all of the initiatives for growth receive the same support in terms of money, effort and attention--are three times as likely to say they have above-average growth. To focus priorities, companies should determine three to six capabilities that they can marshal better than their competitors. That way leadership can concentrate on initiatives that are attainable, the researchers advise.

For more:
- see Leinwand and Mainardi's post at HarvardBusinessReview

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