In a previous post, I described four ways focus can elevate leadership. Today, I’ll reveal four ways it can undermine your leadership:
1. Focus can narrow your field of vision
Focusing, by definition, will narrow your field of vision. That’s great…if you are on the right path. Not so great if you and your team are trying to solve the wrong problem. How do you and your team keep yourself open not only to new solutions, but also to new problems?
2. Focus on execution can mislead you and others
Great leaders focus on what we do and why. Great managers focus on how we do what we do most effectively. When leaders start interfering with execution, they stop creating and maintaining the organization’s vision. And when they stop concentrating on the vision, they stop growing. As a result, they and their organizations become vulnerable to change. Leaders need to hold their team members accountable for their results, but trust them to execute. How else might you create and maintain your vision?
3. Focus on the present may be at the expense of the future (yours and the organization’s)
Focus can be broken down along time increments: the moment, day, week, month, year, and lifetime. Where is your focus? Are you focused on the proverbial “fire” everyday or do you allow yourself to spend time working on the bigger picture?
