Sometimes I lose focus and start to feel like I’m not getting anything done. This frustration usually leads to the following dialogue:
- What do I want?
- The next business goal or objective.
- How do I think I can get there?
- Take a step back and look at the original business plan.
- Why am I not already there?
- What is preventing me from reaching that objective now.
I think the last question is critical to constantly consider. It’s so easy to be satisfied with the “we’re making progress and eventually will get there” attitude – and sometimes you should be – but I think the CEO always needs to be prepared to push things harder and faster.
Ultimately, businesses are not simply judged on what they are able to accomplish – but on how quickly they accomplish it. “Eventually” does not win races. Business is always a race.
Asking this question identifies the bottleneck of the situation and (in my opinion) the CEO or program manager should always be focused on the bottleneck.
Tagged: focus, leadership, productivity, Startup