When Attention Is the Constraint, Focus the Work and the Reviews

Most things go wrong because leaders are spread too thin. Not because the work is impossible. When the volume of initiatives outstrips reviewer capacity, important items get little or no attention. Meetings slip. Mental presence drops. The fix is to match what we take on to the attention we can invest, and to raise the quality of how we review.

If right-sizing is not possible now, decide what will be reviewed and what will run without review for a period. Make the risk explicit. Set an escalation path. Define when an item re-enters reviews as capacity or leverage grows.

Focus the work

Start by counting real review slots that leaders can cover with preparation and follow-through. That number caps the active portfolio. Then triage:

A-items are mission-critical. Each has a named executive sponsor, clear measures, and regular executive reviews with explicit asks.
B-items are managed by metrics. Escalate by exception.
C-items are owner-run with coaching on demand and a light touch.

This puts scarce attention where it lifts results most.

Focus the reviews

Specialize attendance to increase leverage. Assign one executive sponsor to each A-item. Do not require every executive at every review. Form a small coverage group and rotate as needed. Use pre-briefs so the review starts before the meeting: the sponsor shares questions, context, and what a good decision looks like.

In the session, reviewers create safety, listen first, get clear, and then push thinking with best advice and guidance. Reviewees come prepared to learn, are willing to pivot, and implement feedback fast. Use simple ground rules: everyone participates, one conversation at a time, stay mentally present.

Set a simple operating rhythm

Set review cadence thoughtfully; do not schedule by the passage of time alone. For example:

Units: review monthly at first, then every other month, then quarterly as performance stabilizes.
Functions: set cadence based on stability and rate of change.
Initiatives: review at launch and at key milestones, and never allow more than six months between reviews.

Raise the quality of prep

Distribute a high-quality pre-read 24–48 hours before the meeting. Keep it as short as possible and only as long as necessary, with detail in appendices. The pre-read should answer five questions:

What we said we would do.
What we did.
What happened.
What we learned.
What we plan to do next.

Add attachments only when they inform a decision.

Reduce risk proactively

Make explicit forecasts against success targets, even when confidence is low. Call out dependencies (what must go right) and constraints. Offer fallback options and the triggers to use them.

Risks and guardrails

People may feel B and C work is abandoned. Publish simple dashboards, define escalation paths, and time-box re-entry to A-status.
Sponsors can become bottlenecks. Rotate coverage and keep optional executives available for spikes.
Meeting quality can drift. Reaffirm ground rules, coach reviewers and reviewees, and pause to “helicopter up” if the conversation gets stuck.

Start by estimating attention capacity and applying the A/B/C triage to your current list. Then schedule the next cycle of reviews with clear sponsors and pre-read expectations. Get clear. Align. Grow.

IntelliVen