Intentional Leadership — D1-W1-M4 — Focus

This week we will spend some time studying the big picture — getting the lay of the land and understanding what it means for us in our teams and organizations. If you are a detail-oriented person, this could be a stretch for you, but I encourage you to work on this, because it’s critical to your success.

In order to be strategic in whatever you are doing, you need to be able to see the big picture. Once you have some understanding of the what’s happening in your industry, with your competition, and within your organization, then you can channel your energy and activity toward achieving some clear objectives designed to help you achieve your big goals. Only then can you shift your attention to the details.

Working as a professional communicator for the past 20 years, this is how I approach my work, whether the work at hand is in support of a corporate long-term strategic objective, or a one-time communication effort. I always ask my “client” what they are trying to accomplish? What end are they trying to reach? What do they want the audience the know, understand, and do as a result of the communication?

Once they are able to answer those questions, I am able to design a communication plan that will help them reach their goals. This includes segmenting the audience (I strongly recommend a precision targeted approach, rather than the shotgun — spraying your message over everyone hoping it will hit some of the right people — approach), gaining some understanding of what they know and what they need to know, defining key messages, identifying the best communication vehicles to use, outlining a timeline, and specifying who will deliver the message. Only then do we actually begin to craft the communication.

For those who are focused on the details or are impatient about just sending the message, it can be a painful process. But, I can attest that after 20 years of approaching my work this way, the results are worth it (proven by  both the clients who have taken my advice and achieved the results they sought, as well as by the clients who thought I was simply wasting their time and forged ahead with poorly developed communication and were significantly disappointed by their results).

I believe it was David Grossman who said (in his book You Can’t Not Communicate) that effective leader-communicators spend 80% of their time, with respect to a communication effort, actually planning for the communication and only 20% of it on delivery.

So, what’s your big picture?

What goals have you set in support of achieving that big vision for your work?

What about the goals you’ve set for the rest of your life?

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Intentional Leadership — Month Four — Focus

Focus: A state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding. A point at which rays (as of light, heat, or sound) converge or from which they diverge or appear to diverge;specifically: the point where the geometrical lines or their prolongations conforming to the rays diverging from or converging toward another point intersect and give rise to an image after reflection by a mirror or refraction by a lens or optical system.

Thank you, Merriam-Webster online!

Without focus, our efforts are haphazard, expending energy without clear direction. With focus, we can channel our energies and efforts toward clear objectives. We can set and stick to priorities. We filter the information we are drowning in — more than 3000 messages per day according to some sources — able to determine what is truly relevant to you and your mission and ignore the rest. Focus allows us to make decisions in line with our values, beliefs, priorities, and goals. We are able to clearly articulate our vision and guide others. We operate effectively, efficiently, productively; working smarter not harder.

Think of the difference between the light channeled by an incandescent bulb and that of the light channeled through a laser. The first gives you diffused, gentle illumination; the latter gives you a single, super-concentrated beam, intense enough to cut through steel. The difference between the two is simple: Focus.

What you accomplish will be determined by your ability to focus your thoughts, your energy, your efforts. When you have focus, making decisions and taking action is easy. Without it, you will drift through your life, randomly moving with the flow of whatever current you are caught up in. The choice is yours.

Before we begin this fourth month of our Intentional Leadership journey, take some time to consider these questions:

What goals are you currently focused on?

Who best understands your career focus?

How do you maintain your focus in light of the myriad daily distractions you encounter?

When has your clarity of focus inspired someone else to take action?

I’m excited to move into this next stage of our journey. Are you ready? “See” you tomorrow!

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Intentional Leadership — M3 Excellence Wrap-up

Instilling excellence into your organization is a cultural thing. It must be woven into the very fabric of your business, and evident in the way you do everything, every day. The key is, as the leader, you must be the role model and demonstrate, consistently, whatever it is you want your team/organization to do. As my mentor, John C. Maxwell says so eloquently, “People do what people see.”

People do what people see.   ~John C. Maxwell

So, how do you do that? You must establish high standards and inspire others to adopt them, as well. You must be fully immersed in, and committed to, raising the bar on all aspects of your performance, continually striving to get better. You must be willing to banish a “check the box” attitude because you know that “good enough” is not good enough! You must understand you aren’t done, until YOU are done; you don’t base your success or completion on other people’s standards, you keep going until you know you have achieved excellence.

Of course, these things are not possible without high levels of integrity. Will Durant said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Every day, you have the opportunity to influence at least four people (and I do mean “at least,” because I believe the true number is significantly higher), which means you have the opportunity to be an excellence role model and encourage others to focus on and demonstrate excellence in what they do, as well.

Having focused on excellence over the past four weeks, what have you learned about yourself? Your organization? How do you rate yourself on this aspect of your leadership performance?

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