Focus on One Thing

Last year, when I stepped into the role of President at Swift Bunny, I was honest with our CEO, Joe Bailey, when I let him know I was trying to figure out where to begin. There were things I wanted to keep pushing forward that were already in motion, there were themes I had heard from my team members on what was missing or where they saw opportunity, and there were new ideas I was interested in exploring. While a journey may begin with one step, how was I to know which step and in which direction?

Talk about deer in headlights.

And then Joe said the last thing I ever expected him to say to me:

“Well, Jen. Just do what you always tell the leaders you’re coaching. Focus on one thing and make progress there.”

My boss actually quoted me… back to me. And suddenly I knew exactly where I wanted to start.

Focus on one thing.

Here’s what I know: In my 17 years of doing research on residents and employees, their relationships, their frustrations, and company successes and opportunities, the most profound thing I have found to be true is that when a leader focuses on just one thing for a period of time – 2 months, 3 months, 6 months – positive change happens. And not just in the area they’re focusing on; there’s a ripple effect that impacts and influences other areas in a positive way.

Now, I understand that some people will point out that, taken literally, it just doesn’t work. A leader at any level doesn’t have the luxury of having one solitary focal point. Business must be conducted. There are people and processes to manage, customers (internal and external) to serve, bills to be paid, etc., etc. Yes, it’s true, one must continue to conduct business. But in order to effectively implement change or improvement, the priority list must be narrowed to One.

A common situation I see (and experience) when it comes to setting goals and priorities is that there is so much that we could do. The reality, however, is that every organization has limited time and limited resources, so the question must be: what will have the greatest positive impact on the organization?

One of the best examples I’ve witnessed this year of focusing on One Thing is a client who is primarily a fee manager. When they rolled out their first Ingage Employee Feedback Survey three years ago, their company culture was really struggling. Some of their greatest challenges revolved around a perception of limited development opportunities, a lack of support or resources for the on-site teams, and very little collaboration between departments or communities. After much discussion with our client strategists and within their own leadership team, they chose to focus on identifying and providing the tools and resources their on-site team members felt they were lacking. To understand the specific needs of each position category (i.e. Property Managers, Assistant Property Managers, Leasing Team Members, Maintenance Supervisors, Maintenance Techs, etc.), they created a custom survey using the Swift Bunny Inquire Custom Survey Builder. The results of these custom pulse surveys uncovered the greatest obstacles in their day-to-day responsibilities, as well as suggestions on what tool or resource would be most useful.

Once they identified the common themes within each position, the leadership team immediately got to work creating videos, worksheets, reference materials, and templates, which they loaded on a Microsoft Teams resource channel available to all employees. They also created additional training around those resources, including a full education for the Property Managers on their financials.

The result?

Within one year, the score for having the resources needed to do their jobs increased by 22%! And that’s not all. Remember the ripple effect I mentioned earlier? Here are just a few of the ripples created by focusing on the One Thing:

• Knowing how to be successful in their current role – increased by nearly 10%
• Positive relationships with other departments – increased by 10%
• Perception of having access to training needed to do their job well – increased by 13%

An additional interpersonal bonus was that once the property managers understood and were given responsibility for their own financials, the accounting team became the loudest defenders and supporters of the property managers instead of always seemingly trying to catch them in a mistake. Collaboration and camaraderie skyrocketed.

They had one priority focus, but it impacted so many facets of the employees’ work experience!

I have been known to share my observation on why New Year’s resolutions often feel unsuccessful. It’s because most people make a resolution to lose weight. And start working out. And improve their vocabulary. And spend more time with their family. And. And. And.

When you focus on too many things, you don’t make much progress on anything.

To make a positive, tangible impact, narrow your priority focus to One Thing and see what happens.

So, what was my One Thing when I started my new role? Team communication. But I’ll leave that story to another day.

If you’d like to better understand what your employees and residents like most about your organization, as well as what they’d like to see you focus on for improvement, we can help. Check us out at Swift Bunny, or contact us HERE. We’d love to support you in achieving your goals. ?

- Jen Piccotti