Leaders Shift the Focus

When I video my daughter dancing at competitions, I’m locked/loaded on her performance, zooming in on her and often not capturing the team performance as a whole in the picture—nor am I actively listening to my wife or anyone around me at that moment. Focus is essential for a leader to be productive.  But hyper-focus can be terminal, if excluding the other key areas on which to take an ongoing pulse:

• Just like I could have focused on the entire team, a leader must gauge the collective morale of his team and how they are relating to each other–hopefully aligned with the culture’s core values.
• Just like I could have focused on the music, a leader must be aware of the work environment and its resources/tools/training that pave the path for employee productivity toward the vision
• Just like I could have focused on my own videoing skill, a leader must have a dynamic personal growth plan for key areas of her life, like wellness/replenishment, family, and skill-building. The speed of the leader is the speed of the team (Lee Iacocca).
• Just like I could have focused on those around me at the game, a leader must network in his community, develop strong alliances, get mentored/be a mentor, and ask for help when needed/stuck.

And, remember a key principle of focus: wherever you are, be all there--and you’ll keep Growing Forward!  Visit www.paulcasey.org for tips, tools, quotes, and blogs for your leadership development, as well as my new book Leading the Team You’ve Always Wanted.