As I am waiting for a meeting to begin, I am left wondering – where is the focus? Where has it gone? In this current economic climate, it seems like everyone has lost focus.
The spiral downward has been so fast and so deep that everyone is left wondering – should I spend anything? Can I afford to spend anything? Where is the equilibrium point? I speak to clients on a daily basis and most are saying a similar thing at this point – I do not know enough at this point to commit for something in the future – even if it is the immediate future.
In a world of such uncertainty – focus is everything. Find it. Don’t lose it. And Don’t forget it.
My recommendations to anyone leading an organization or a team -
1) Make sure every member of that team has both an individual focus and a team focus
2) Make sure the focus point is clear, visible, attainable, and clearly understood
3) Make sure that you, as the leader, remove everything that could come in the way of that focus – gone are the days where distractions can be commonplace and “free time” is part of work time – focus is key.
4) Rid yourself of anyone who does not have focus or who detracts others from their focus.
5) Find the balance in your messaging. Team members are not oblivious to the current climate and situation – don’t try to hide it. At the same time, don’t paint such a picture that simply your messaging will cause people to lose focus.
6) Be transparent as much as you can. Let people know that the decisions you make will be self-evident and based on performance and focus.
Finally – make sure that focus is the topic of each conversation. Quickly intercept any conversation that loses focus and that starts to create any gray. More than ever, people need to be able to see black and white, and it is the job of every good leader to make sure the black and white point of focus is clear to each and every team member.
Have you found your focus?
