FINDING FOCUS
Think back to recent a failure. Perhaps it was a conversation that ended unpredictably or a financial loss or an organizational initiative that never seemed to gain momentum.
Strategies often fail. In fact, 60-90% of strategic plans never fully launch (Harvard Business Review).
It’s human nature to be motivated and excited about a project or personal endeavor at the onset. But motivation isn’t enough. Ask any dedicated athlete if s/he only practices and performs when motivated and you’d be hard-pressed to find a world champion who reserves their routine for pure inspiration.
Ideas, creativity and enthusiasm fall short where focus, meaning, and aligned action excel.
That’s why creating clear, achievable, value-oriented targets are necessary for personal and organizational development, and it goes beyond a strong mission. Whether adjusting leadership vision, developing personal brand communications, creating processes of learning and development, or improving customer satisfaction through united management, it’s imperative that perspective is both widened and narrowed, interweaving related ideas and integrating digestible strategy.
Failure to understand the problem.
One of the most common reasons people and organizations fail is an inability to understand, and utilize, the problem. Problems are what make purpose (and profit). Problems can be global, social, and categorical. They exist externally, individually, and within your team (or lack of). Usually, problems are intertwined and complex.
Complexity enhances overwhelm and yields reactive, rather than strategic, solutions.
For example, many companies or projects will cite funding as the problem. The catalyst is the complexity that arises from lack of clarity. When an individual/organization is uncertain, a breakdown in confidence, disjointed communication, inconsistent persistence, and unclear value proposition for potential customers/investors are all parts of a greater problem. Lack of funding is the symptom.
As a student of psychology and a learning and development consultant, I see failure as fertile soil. A simple psychological shift in perspective can provide not only solutions but powerful tools for positive transformation and ultimately, triumph.
Whether you’re looking to add greater focus to your personal life or project development, this well-respected technique is the first step in simplifying complex structures and creating clarity.