The Power of Focus

Watching the Olympics has caused me to once again see and understand the power of focus.  By focus I mean concentrated attention and effort to the task at hand.  Every athlete in the Olympics is there because they focused daily in the essential preparatory activities needed to ensure their selection to the team.  It is interesting to observe the focus of the athletes competing in the games.  An example is the women’s gymnastics team competing on the Balance Beam competition.  How do those women perform those amazing feats on a very narrow surface while all kinds of background noise are going on at the same time?  The answer lies in the power of focus in all of the practices leading up to the competition and the concentrated focus during the competition.

Business owners who are effective in moving their companies forward are focused daily on the most vital activities that positively impact the value of their companies.  Brian Tracy has stated, “ just as the sun’s rays, focused through a magnifying glass, can create intense heat and fire, your intelligence and abilities, focused and concentrated on a few key activities, can enable you to accomplish much more than the average person can and in far less time( Tracy, 2002, p.3). “  How is it possible to consistently apply the power of focus?  I believe there are three keys:

  • Establish a target or goal.  Keep before you the most important end result you are trying to accomplish for your company.  This will bring into focus your list of priorities in order of importance.
  • Do not waste time.  John Wooden, the former great UCLA basketball coach, had a great respect for time and used it to his advantage.  Listen to him, “Only when you fully comprehend the magnitude of the potential that exists in every individual minute will you begin to treat time with the grave respect it deserves.  Over the decades I’ve observed that most effective leaders do not disrespect time, not a minute.  They understand that when it comes to success-real achievement-time is of the essence.  And the essence of success is time (Wooden, Jamison, 2005, p.154).”
  • Set a deadline to achieve the desired end result.  A deadline has a way of forcing one to focus on the most important tasks of the day.

There is power in focus!

*Tracy, Brian, (2002), Focal Point

*Wooden, John & Jamison, Steve, (2005), Wooden On Leadership

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