Four Steps to Focusing Like a Laser on Your Big Goal
Focusing is one of the hardest things to do as a business owner or any leader who finds the need to wear many hats. Not too concerned? Take a moment and reflect on whether the following statements are true or false:
I have an activity or two that get me focused and ready to tackle my daily priorities.
I maintain alignment with my priorities amidst the daily whirlwind and in the face of competing demands.
I consistently bring my best energy to my lead measures that leverage the 80/20 rule.
I effectively adapt and refocus in the face of unexpected challenges and changes.
If any of these statements ring false to you, I urge you to take the full assessment below. Great leaders have purpose, integrity and energy in the way they approach work and life. But the successful ones also have another key element in the leadership toolkit: laser focus. Let’s focus on personal focus.
As a coach, I’m fond of what has become known as the 80/20 rule or Pareto Principle, named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Our take is that around 80% of your productivity or results come from around 20% of concentrated effort you put into something. The sooner you can get yourself doing whatever it is that constitutes that 20% of high-productivity effort, the better.
One of my favorite books on focus is The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey. I have found it extremely helpful for achieving my personal goals and supporting my clients. It works in four steps:
1. Define Your Wildly Important Goal (WIG): To maintain focus, we must choose wisely from a list of our best intentions and stated goals. Ask yourself the following questions: “What’s the one goal that, when I achieve it, will make all other goals seem inconsequential? What’s the one goal that will make the biggest impact on my personal mission/vision and that will position me to achieve my other goals?”
A good WIG is always formatted, “From X to Y by when.” For example, my WIG is to go from weighing X pounds to weighing Y pounds, a weight that makes me feel healthy, energized and more productive in everything I do.
2. Identify your lead measures: Your lead measures are the drivers or high leverage tasks or activities that deliver or lead to your achieving your WIG. For example, if my WIG is to lose weight, my lead measure #1 might be to maintain a certain daily caloric intake. My lead measure #2 might be to exercise and burn a certain number of calories each day.
3. Create a tracker/scoreboard to see your progress: Create a simple and easy way to monitor your progress at a glance, using a calendar to chart your weekly progress against each of your lead measures.
4. Establish a weekly rhythm of accountability: A research study by Dominican University has proven the efficacy of having clearly written goals and creating visibility and accountability with a third party gives you by far the best shot at successfully reaching your goals.
I hope you’re seeing focus in a new … focus now! If so, give us a call at ScalePassion and we’ll help you get laser focused!
Are You Ready to Scale? - Simple Assessment
