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Intentional Leadership — D2, W3, M4 — Focus

Step back in time, briefly, and think of a time when you were focused on a task and then became distracted. Now, get out your journal and write about what happened. Describe the circumstances and the factors that led to the distraction.

With this new level of awareness, what recurring factors easily distract you when working on tasks or projects? What are your top three most frequent reactions?

Awareness is the key, so now that you are thinking clearly about your most common distractions, you can develop a system that will allow you to manage them.

Depending on what your distractions are, your management system may be about starting some new behaviors, stopping some existing behaviors, or implementing new behaviors.

For example, if your distractions are emails, phone calls, and unexpected visitors, perhaps you could create a different environment for yourself to work in, uninterrupted. Log-out of your email. Turn off the ringer on your phone and/or send it straight to voice mail. Close your door — with a “Please do not disturb” sign on it.

I worked with someone once who used “traffic lights” on his office door to let his co-workers know if it was ok to enter his office. If the light was green, he was working on things that wouldn’t be negatively impacted by an interruption. When the light was yellow, he was interruptible if the issue was really important (he defined what that meant for him and his team). If the light was red, that meant he should be interrupted ONLY if there was imminent danger of death and destruction! Of course, this system took some educating within his team, to understand what the lights meant and how to determine if what they were about to interrupt him with was really important in the grand scheme of things, or was important only to them in that moment.

So, what is your plan for retaining your focus and dealing with common distractions? Develop a plan that will work for each of your most common distractions. Once you’ve mastered the top three, refocus your attention on the next most common distractions. Over time, you’ll be amazed at how much more focused you are and how much more control you have over how you spend your time, rather than how you may fall victim to distractions.

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W3, M4 — Focus

Wow! We’re already into week three of our fourth month on this journey! Time flies…

What does clear focus do for you and your team? When I work with teams, I begin with team building (have to have a foundation of trust before anything else of significant value will happen), and once we have that foundation, we work on where the team is headed — defining and clarifying what their vision is. Then I walk them through plotting out the steps they will need to take to achieve their vision, how they will measure their progress along the way, and how will they hold themselves and each other accountable for their individual and team commitments.

As they begin to move forward, they will develop momentum, but they will also be dealing with the rest of their lives, which creates some distractions, both at home and at work. It’s critical they remain focused on the end game. Clear focus eliminates distractions, unifies activity, and guides decision-making.

When your focus is diverted, all kinds of things will come into your path to get you and keep you off track. You will find competing goals and your team mates will be pulled in other directions. As the leader, you must be the reminder, relentlessly keeping the team focused on your shared vision, championing that vision, and celebrating the work your team is doing and the milestones it is achieving along the way.

Think back to the Cold War. There were several different schools of thought about the approach we should take with the USSR: Befriend them and seek common ground; divvy up territories — giving them control of Eastern Europe and parts of Asia; others said they must be defeated at all costs.

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher agreed with the final approach — defeat them at all costs. Our leaders had determined that the USSR having any significant control beyond its own borders was not an option that would be good for the rest of the globe. Each took a specific approach. Reagan framed it as a struggle between liberty and suppression. Thatcher focused on unraveling socialist policies at home and abroad. Together, they focused the resources and willpower of half the globe toward crushing communism.

What do you think would have happened if they didn’t have a laser-sharp focus on these issues?

What distractions threaten to sway the focus of your team?

What can you do — daily — to unify your team’s attention and activities?

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.   ~Alexander Graham Bell

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W2, M4 — Focus

Now that you’ve defined the skills necessary for success in your current role, and are actively working to sharpen at least one of them, let’s think about who can help you.

Who do you know who can help you deliberately develop the skills required in your role?

While you surely have an extensive network and a long list of contacts, create a list of specific people who are key players with respect to your position. Designate each one based on expertise and associate their names with the skills from the list you created yesterday. Think of them as your “inner circle” with respect to sharpening your skills in this job.

On a piece of paper, make two columns. In the left column, list your top ten skills, one per line. In the right column, list the people you identified above who can help you with each specific skill on your list.

Contact at least one person on your list today to help you with something specific.

You know, people are flattered when we recognize their skills and abilities; they want to know that others recognize their talents and competence. You can win in two ways with this exercise: First, you sharpen your skills, and second, you will likely develop a stronger connection with the people you reach out to.

What are you waiting for? Get started…

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