Aligning for Results
This is a simple reminder of something that most of us know but many of us fail to do consistently:
What we ACTUALLY focus on determines what we create.
We know in our heads that we should get clear on what is most important, articulate the most effective paths to get there, and focus on the action items that will create the most impact. However, even with clear priorities, we often allow ourselves to get sidetracked by distractions. We overload ourselves with tasks, making it difficult to focus on what truly matters. Rather than making deliberate choices that are purposeful to our desired end state, we shift our attention and simply react to whatever demands our attention in the moment.
If you truly focus on what’s important (and DON'T focus on what’s NOT), you will naturally create the outcomes most important to you. On the other hand, if your focus is primarily responsive to what feels like is flying at you or spread across too many things, you may get really good at fly-swatting and resolving many issues that weren’t critical. You also likely won’t achieve the level of success and progress you envisioned on the core outcomes you most desired. So my reminder is to consciously and ruthlessly align your focus to achieve the desired outcomes you most want rather than accept ones that are just OK or not desired.
To stay aligned on generating what is most important, I have found a simple framework to enable you to prioritize, make purposeful decisions, and say “no” to the things that are not critical. If you can align your focus using this framework, you will find yourself using your collective energy (time, money, will) in a way that accelerates your success.
The key is to tie together your desired end state, which generally gets articulated in intentional statements or goals, with tangible, defined outcomes and deliverables, with immediate purposeful actions and the highest best use of your time and energy.
To do this, you need to think and act simultaneously with an integrated view of 3 years (end state and intention), 1 year (defined, measurable outcomes), 90 days (focus, plans, and deliverables) and 1 week (immediate actions or to-do’s).
This approach enables leaders to clarify what they are trying to create AND more importantly to focus on the critical choices and actions to get there. It also forces honesty around what will actually be achieved in any given timeframe.
As a result, leaders can finally find a solution to the over-flowing plate by saying “no” to non-critical path items and pushing out tasks into the appropriate timeframe that they need to be resolved in service to the defined end state and outcomes.
Since success relies on a cause-effect relationship between focus and results, this simple framework enables leaders to have more awareness of their choices and decision making in any given minute in direct relation to the outcomes they are trying to create.
