Staying the Course

Staying the course, it’s a proven fact: “Multitasking” doesn’t work. To succeed as a leader, focus on staying focused.

There is this time of year when we start to lose focus. The reality of the new year hits. All our good intentions are fading fast. Busy is starting to overwhelm productivity. Your team is running hard, keeping up, doing great, but the bigger goals are slipping away as the churning of your efforts in the minutia takes over.

What to do to get back on track?

First of all, keep your focus. Don’t get so overwhelmed by the multitude of choices (or voices) that you forget your mission. We have so many choices now about many things; even toothpaste has hundreds of brands. In most of our work, there are even more choices, but none more important than how we behave with our colleagues. We have the ability to be many things to many people. This is true both individually and for the collective “’we.”

As a leader, you have the responsibility to focus on many layers; but most importantly, maintain your own focus.  If you are not modeling the best behavior here, how can others learn from you? When a staff member is speaking, are you really listening? Or are you trying to multi-task? Do you interrupt them to take a phone call? Rude! Is one eye on your email? Technically, in terms of brain function, we cannot multi-task. Inside our head we are actually bouncing from one thing to the other over and over again. By doing this, our brain is up to 40 percent less effective, causing us to make more mistakes and potentially hurt someone’s feelings.

Active listening may be one of the most difficult disciplines we have to practice. One simple but obvious idea: You need to actually look at your employees and really focus on them. Pick your head up from the desk and put the phone, paper, or other distractions down. Simply look at them while they are speaking. Amazingly, this can be really difficult. For example, do you have a notification bell on your email, ringing every time there is a new message? Turn it off! You might even minimize all the screens on your computer to reduce further distraction.

Next, clear a space across your desk so there is no implied barrier between the two of you. Close up files and move them aside. The body language you employ can also help; lean in and focus. Nod, smile, and gesture.

You can also use verbal cues to let the person know you are engaged in the conversation. Asking questions can also keep you focused as well as commenting on various aspects of the conversation, such as, “Wow, I bet that was hard to do!” or, “Great idea!” as you go along in the conversation.

This may seem rudimentary, but the most basic and important things we do are often the ones that get lost in the hurriedness of life. Unfortunately, we tend to ignore polishing these basic skills which are assumed to be done naturally. We are born knowing how to hear but not how to listen; this takes skill and practice. But this isn’t the only focus you need.

What about the focus on your own set of needs, your own training, and your own time to think and process? Have you scheduled your own training time, your rest, and your time to think? Do you allow such time for your employees? In fact, do you insist upon them taking that time?

You’re also responsible for focusing your team. Helping them keep their eye on the ball takes a great deal of effort and requires several steps.

First have an up-to-date mission statement, then create language around that mission that empowers your internal code. Standardize everything to the three or four core values and missions you develop. Don’t just brand your product; brand your mission. Virtually everything you do—internal documents, external news items, meeting agendas—can be organized or communicated around those concepts. This helps to focus naturally, without requiring staff to listen to pontifications about the methodology; it also helps create a habit. Even accountability is enhanced because everyone will know what direction they are going all the time.

The second lesson is to take care of each other. Vigorously protect those you lead, and help them not to damage themselves. You may be empowering them by giving them all the rope they need to hang themselves, but never let the trap door open below them.  Don’t let them work so hard they forget other priorities such as family and rest; no one wins when they are burned out.

In general, your best employees need most of your attention. We have the bad habit of spending more time on our marginal employees, hoping we can fix them. Unfortunately, this means we don’t have time to develop the ones that actually deserve our time. Since we often allow the marginal employees to continue in their position way too long, we actually punish the “good ones” who end up carrying more than their share of the load. Because they are the good ones, they will continue to shoulder the load until they have deprived themselves of rest and refreshment; they may even burn out, which manifests in many forms: giving up, becoming ill due to lack of rest, or developing an attitude that suffers.

With this in mind, keep track of the time you spend with each employee, which will keep you from falling into a trap. It is fine to spend time trying to bring poor employees into the fold with training, attention, or even trying different assignments, but be sure the ratios are right.

Help them stay focused on the bigger mission. Others may try pulling them away from the task, but don’t allow it. Be sure you are aware of all the distractions that are in the way of the people you lead, even if this means eliminating or giving new life to processes that are old or unnecessary; there may be stale procedures that are just, “the way we have always done it.” These can rob you of efficiency and effectiveness.

Technology can have this effect as well. If all you have is a hammer, everything will look like a nail. Be sure your systems are current. This is difficult with the changes that come so fast, but the old rule of driving all work down to the lowest, cost-effective solution still stands. Similarly, if you have someone doing work that can be automated or delegated, you have inefficiency. This affects more than the bottom line. Your staff eventually will be demoralized when they see the impact on their day simply because you won’t invest in the right tools.

Remember that most folks want to do a great job. You can reward them by allowing them to do so by providing them with the proper tools and the proper focus from you.