Laser Beam Focus

Last week I received sort of a "CliffsNotes" version of a recently published book called Focus Like a Laser Beam: 10 Ways to Do What Matters Most. As consultants, regardless of our chosen field, our job is to bring focus to the cloudy situations our clients experience.

Out of the 10 ways to brings focus to a situation, here are 3 that I thought stood out.

1. Know and Feel What Focus Truly Is - Focus is having a shared perspective with others, universal understanding and having relevance to the tasks at hand. It is also about having alignment with organizational goals, being self-corrective (catching problems before they become bigger) and results-oriented.
2. Invite Challenges - It brings out the best in others and provides learning opportunities. Challenges give something to work toward.
3. Stop Multi-tasking - Chunk! - Doing numerous tasks at once destroys focus and productivity. When you face a big project, break it down into smaller pieces. Tackle them one at a time until you reach your goal.

Personally, I'm guilty of violating number 3. Something I need to work harder on...

So, next time when you interact with your clients think about how you give them focus. You may find you do it in more ways than one.