Focused Leadership is a Journey

An essential ingredient of a business leader's success toolkit is their ability to focus.

Many years ago, I watched an interview featuring Richard Parsons. He said that one reason why many people do not make it to the top i.e. achieve their full potential, is that they do not focus. They try to do too many things at the same time. So I looked him up and read more about his life.

He was the first African-American CEO of Time Warner. He then went on to become Chairman of 花旗 before becoming the CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise.

He clearly understood the need to focus early in his journey. He said:

• He focused in high school, skipping classes he did not need.
• As an undergraduate, he was laser-focused on the essential steps to get to law school.
• He focused on opportunities in the workplace, taking jobs and following leaders who could help him get to the top.

In retrospect, focus may seem obvious but it can be challenging to determine and sustain when looking forward. Here are a few considerations.

Define The Prize

Leaders must have a clear vision but the potential positive outcomes of the vision - the prize - are what create motivation.

Sometimes when challenges arise, the easiest thing to do is to look back to past achievements. They seem particularly brighter as they are viewed with fondness. Yet, in fairness the past was not necessarily perfect. Potential prizes pull us away from the past into the future.

I learnt to swim as an adult, probably inspired by my children and the knowledge that I was missing an important lifeskill. Many years earlier, my attempt to learn had been discouraged by an instructor who didn't think I could.

This second time around, I was in the company of an instructor who believed in me. Despite being motivated, the start was a struggle. I soon realised it was because my eyes were always tightly shut so I could not see where I was aiming for as I swam. New goggles brought the clarity I needed to see across the pool. I had a prize to focus on which transformed my approach and confidence to become a swimmer!

Be Passionate

When I was a little girl I developed an unlikely passion. My passion was for the French language. As far as I can remember I did not know any French-speaking people and I had never visited a francophone country. I just felt drawn to the language. Unfortunately for me, my primary school did not offer French.

My solution was to go ahead and speak French anyway. My brother was a willing participant and we used to make up conversations in words we did not understand and claimed to be speaking French. The friends we walked to school with allowed us to carry on, knowing the language we were speaking was not real.

In secondary school when the opportunity to study French arose, I lapped it up passionately - with all the thirst you can imagine. At one point I even took to speaking French with some of my dormitory mates as I prepared for my O level examinations. It was real French this time! I would go on to work and study in francophone countries, aided by a passion that had become a skill.

We all have passions. The right focus must be fed by passions, what are yours?

Develop Grit

Probably one of the best known voices on Grit is Angela Duckworth

Her TEDtalk is all about perseverance to pursue our long term goals. It makes me think of the many times when focus has meant literally gritting my teeth just to keep going through a challenge. Grit is a key differentiator between who makes it to the finish line and who does not.

It is not dissimilar to when an amateur runner participates in a long distance run. Within the first few miles, the self-doubt comes through. Can this really be done, by me? It takes mental confidence to persist despite the body's protests.

Grit is that stubborn conviction that we have what it takes to succeed.

Have Tenacity

Have you every encountered a child determined to get their parents' attention? That is tenacity in action.

Single-minded dogged determination. Ignoring them is not an option. Saying no requires good reason supported by a better alternative.

As adults, being tenacious is not as straight forward. Unlike a child, we think of the downside risks of digging our heels in. We have to strike a balance between seeming single-mindedness and accommodating others.

In practical terms, tenacity is necessary and has to be an internal drive which we express externally bearing the context in mind while sustaining our desire to achieve our vision.

Be Consistent

Which version of you shows up each day? Hopefully it is the authentic true version of you. Focus requires consistency. A consistent approach to how you do things. What you do may vary depending on the task at hand. Consistency leads to mastery and mastery creates room for improvement. Makes it clear when our approach needs to be adjusted.

Many years ago, a younger colleague said she had recently met one of my children and proceeded to tell me how she was surprised at his goal-orientation, dedication and respect for others. She said he made her realise that the approach I take at work must match my approach at home. To her, my son reflected some of the values she had seen me demonstrate and encourage at work.

So the question is, how consistent are you? If someone who has known you for 5 years met someone who has known you for 6 months, how similar will their views of you be? Would they be consistent or inconsistent?

Eliminate Noise

By virtue of my training as an engineer, I think of noise in the context of a signal. Signals carry relevant information but noise distorts the flow of the signal. Think of it as an additional burden the true signal has to carry, like when you tune your radio. If it is not quite on the right frequency, the sound is not clear. What the tuning actually does is filter the signal to eliminate the noise.

Similarly, there will be noisy distractions to your focus. Information you do not need. Activities you should not expend precious energy on. Distractions that you should not allow to take your attention.

If you have defined your vision and prize, it is easier to strategically identify and construct your filters. You have a choice of what you let in and what you exclude from your journey. Don't let the noise in, focus!

Ultimately, it is possible to train ourselves to improve our ability to focus!

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