Moving Forward With Laser-Like Focus
By Leanne Crain
Are you standing still? Well, probably right now you are, to read this through, but I mean in general. Do you work hard all day, and watch your team work hard all day, but for some reason, feel like you're standing still? Do you have more "to do" items on your list than you have day left to do them in?
We have all dealt with this at one point or another in our lives. As leaders, we sometimes fall into the trap of fire fighting, and lose our focus. Despite our best efforts to do all the right things, and get everything done, we just don't seem to move forward. Without the laser-like focus we need to push us forward, we stall.
So how do we create better focus?
Let's start with you. In order to be a leader, you must first lead yourself.
Begin by making a list of what you need to get done - now, and in the future. What do you need to accomplish right now? What do you want to have accomplished in the next week? Month? Year? When you have answered those questions, write them down. If they are longer goals, or large ones, break them down into steps that will be required to reach them.
The next step to creating focus is going beyond goal setting. While it is critically important to set goals and write them down, it is as important to keep your focus on those. One of the ways we recommend in all of our training sessions is to keep a Success Journal. In your success journal you should write down your goals, the steps you need to take, and then work through it week by week. You can create your own, or purchase a ready made one, whichever makes you feel most comfortable.
Commit to spend about 10 or 15 minutes each evening working through your journal. Each week, look at your goals, and decide what you must do in the upcoming week to get you closer to achieving them. Focus yourself on what you need to make happen that week. Make yourself a to-do list that is focused on those key things.
Each day, take that 10 - 15 minutes you've set aside and review what went right during the day. Look to the next day and make a to-do list for it. Always ensure you include your goal setting steps in your to-do list. Remember the 80/20 rule from time management? You will spend 80% of your time producing 20% of your results. Also, 20% of your time will account for 80% of your results. You need to make sure you are planning your days around the tasks that will move your forward.
Continue doing this every day, and at the end of the week look back and comment on what you achieved. Did you move closer to your goals? Did you focus on what you really needed to get done? It takes a bit of practice.
If you keep up with your journal, you will begin seeing your laser-like focus come into play, and you will spend less time "fighting fires" and more time working on what will drive you ahead in your goals.
You can take these same lessons and apply them to your team. Not only could your entire team benefit from keeping a success journal, but you as a team can use the lessons to create focus together.
What, as a team, do you need to accomplish this week? Month? Year? What steps need to be taken to get there? These are your team goals. Make sure you remember to write them down.
Each week have a quick stand-up meeting to see where everyone is going. Every person on the team should be responsible for their own to do list, and together you should all be working together toward not only getting things done, but moving your team forward.
If you spend time focusing - yourself and your team - each day, and each week, you will be truly amazed at the results you begin to get. Don't let your team stall. Spend a bit of time each day investing in yourself by focusing on your goals, and reap the rewards in your life, and in your work.
For more information on leadership or to get your copy of the Getting To Someday Success Journal, please contact Gary Gzik at ggzik@bizxcel.com
Leanne Crain is a Marketing Assistant for BizXcel. Her background is marketing and tourism, and she has over 12 years experience in the sales and marketing field.
