At some point or another, all of us leaders have found ourselves struggling with focus around what’s vital in our work. Maybe we get sidetracked or overwhelmed by internal or external factors that directly impact our organization. Or maybe we struggle to set aside, manage or quiet distractions that affect us personally, pulling us away from our leadership job.
Whatever the case, it’s safe to say distractions cost us in terms of productivity and profitability. If you’re not productive, the fallout to the bottom line can be real.
Here are three straightforward steps to regain critical focus:
Step #1. Figure out what’s getting you off-track. Take some time to examine and write down what’s pulling you away from what we at MAP call the “Vital Few.” Based on the Pareto Principle, the Vital Few are the 20 percent of activities that drive 80 percent of your results, relative to leading yourself, your team and the organization at large.
Analyze what’s happening with your Vital Few. Note patterns or common themes. For example, maybe you’re constantly being interrupted by direct reports coming to you for solutions, which pulls away time and energy you could use for more leadership-centric duties. Or maybe meetings are bogging you down-they’re ineffective or you’re doing too many. Look for the big offenders, noting what’s undermining your focus, productivity and potential.
Step #2. Take action! Address the big offenders. Once you understand what’s impacting your ability to build or sustain focus, assign goals and strategies for these areas of your leadership responsibility. Don’t go overboard-start with what’s doable. For instance, you may assign someone else to manage and lead meetings, then report back whatever is important.
What if you’re seen as the go-to person for all the problems and answers at work? Start requiring team members to come to you for feedback or help only when they have a few solutions for each problem that has surfaced. Whatever your challenges, if you’re unsure of how to tackle them, MAP can help. We know the common offenders, plus how to best address them.
Step #3. Build discipline around focus, using accountability. The tool you use to enforce consistent execution around your goals and strategies, “accountability” is what gets things done. In fact, accountability is so critical to building focus, it’s the foundation to the MAP Management System™. In using the MAP Management System, you’ll find it naturally builds focus, helping you ditch distractions, empower team members, and address the common culprits behind poor productivity and performance that derail leadership focus.
Build greater focus using accountability today. Contact MAP for details about the MAP Management System. Already a MAP client but need to recommit to accountability? Reach out-let’s get your focus back!
Originally published at https://www.mapconsulting.com on March 11, 2022.
