You can probably remember the exact moment the idea for your company emerged. It was your “aha moment”, a split second when your dream was born. From there you put a plan into action, and devoted your heart and soul into making your dream a reality. Doing so took an enormous amount of fortitude and a laser-like vision. You knew exactly what you wanted to do and worked to achieve it.
But somewhere along the way, maybe in the middle of the daily small fires you extinguish or the emails that never cease, you've veered off track. You now find yourself scattered and distracted in both strategy and execution, trying to move in too many directions at the same time. Besides being utterly exhausted, this lack of focus is hurting your business. Spending time and resources pursuing new ideas and opportunities necessarily means that time and resources are being taken away from the core areas of your business. Do this long enough and quality and consistency in your brand will suffer as a result.
EOS® teaches us that leaders need to establish their business’ Core Focus™. Your company’s Core Focus™ is the reason your company exists. It’s your purpose, your niche, and the “why” your company exists. It can also been referred to as a mission statement, a vision statement, or a sweet spot. Once you identify it, you need to stick to it and devote your energy and resources to excelling at it. Absolutely nothing you do should lead you from your Core Focus™.
But just how do you maintain focus when you’re constantly presented with new opportunities that seem good? How do you identify whether a new opportunity is within your company’s Core Focus™, or if it’s just a distraction? Here are 3 simple strategies for staying focused:
- Write it down.
Write down your big picture goal. Keep it short, include today’s date, and post it somewhere you will notice. By having a visual reminder with a date, it becomes clear whether or not you’ve veered off course and for how long.
Before you accept new opportunities, check with your visual reminder. Is this new thing in line with your big picture goal or is it a distraction?
- Schedule yourself.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day work of the business. The best way to ensure you pay attention to the bigger picture is to intentionally set aside time for it. Find a quiet spot in the week, away from the office, your team, your phone, to just work “on” the business rather than “in” it. Your time here should be on “big picture” stuff. Go for walk, let your mind wander. This is not the time to multi-task.
- Get help.
Hire staff or outsource to replace the time that you’re currently spending on activities that are purely “inside” of the business. This will allow you to concentrate on building up the company rather than micro-managing every aspect of it.
Make sure employees and contractors are like-minded people, those who believe in what you are doing, share your passion, and see the big picture as well. This will give you the discipline and insights to focus on the important, top line challenges—and keep you from drowning in small, short-term details that you need to delegate to others on your team. If you’re struggling “letting go”, check out our tips on delegation here.
It is time to turn away from distractions, and return to your important dream. When your Core Focus™ is clear, you can stay fixated on it with your entire being. That’s when real growth will occur.
