Uncertainty abounds in business. It’s normal. Still, for many, uncertainty (and regular chatter about it) can be a major source of distraction for themselves or their teams. Too often, executives simply exhort their people to “focus.”
Easier said than done, as we all know.
In fact, battling distraction is an ongoing challenge. And it’s getting worse, driving suboptimal decisions and practices that do little to alleviate the strain and impact on your business.
Short-term thinking and action that may or may not achieve your objectives.
During rapid growth, teams concentrate on the next task needed to get the product/service into the hands of customers. Slow growth may shift attention to things that deliver immediate results.
While these approaches are focused, both cultivate short-term thinking and action that may or may not achieve your objectives. In fact, while near-term results may appear to be good or satisfactory, the short-term behavior is not sustainable. It can derail strategy. You and your team are so busy coping with the immediate that the longer term – your destination – gets lost.
Wrangle the distractions.
Individuals can take steps to wrangle the distractions to drive strategy and enhance their own focus. For example, in Mastering Focus, I noted that battling distraction was the topic of an episode of Growth Igniters Radio®. Hosts Pam and Scott Harper talked with Penny Zenker, a self-titled focusologist.
To enhance focus, Zenker advocates adopting a reset mindset. This makes sense. Yet in my view, it’s critical first to recognize when the work is out of focus. Then, break it down to understand the nature of the problem.
I advise leaders to take three steps to quiet the noise:
Classify the noise. List the variety of things coming at you and classify the noise: What is draining? What may be helpful? What is simply a distraction?
Recognize the real work. Sometimes, what may feel like an interruption or non sequitur may in fact be a new or unexpected opportunity.
Leverage the good noise. Turbulence can be unnerving. It also signals that your business context is changing. Typically, this is not all bad. Uncover the opportunities that emerge amid the turmoil.
Noise of distraction is not solely an individual problem.
Notably, the noise of distraction is not solely an individual problem. It can permeate teams as well. It may seem as if myriad things attract each other and coalesce to create a tunnel of distraction. What's coming at you is not water from a fire hose. Instead, it’s a constant stream of possibly – though not certainly – relevant information, data, opportunities, threats, ideas, and more.
Leaders must cut through the noise for themselves first, then guide their teams. This is much the same as donning your own oxygen mask before assisting others – a direction with which all plane passengers are familiar. In doing so, leaders also model the behaviors and decisions that make it easier for the entire team to focus.
Focus on Value
When distractions threaten to overtake performance, I advise leaders to do just one thing: focus on value. The idea is so important, it’s the theme of an episode of Strategy In A Minute™, embedded below.
Of everything you are doing right now, what’s the one thing that delivers the most value for customers today and for the future?
Leaders that guide their teams to focus on value – persistently, actively, and with intention – create productive habits that accelerate performance. They cultivate appropriate focus that feeds the short-term and sustains the long-term to keep strategy on track.
When focus is needed to wrangle the distractions, focus on value.