Following on from my previous post about focus and pace, I gained a reminder of its importance from one of my clients yesterday.
We have recently been working together on developing options for new growth for his business, and have identified six high-potential opportunities. At the start of the meeting my client said, “There’s only one of these opportunities I want to pursue. It’s much bigger than the other opportunities, it fits best with who we are, and we know how to pull it off. We need to focus on this one so that we can really get going.”
The energy of the meeting immediately increased, and I am confident that the momentum gained will quickly transfer to the rest of the organisation.
It’s tempting to keep our options open and pursue several different avenues. But for each avenue pursued, energy and pace is dissipated. Pushing hard on a few fronts, not pushing a little on many fronts, is the key to making substantial and rapid strategic progress.
My client can always return to the opportunities at a later date – after they have succeeded with their current priority. And after yesterday’s session I’m very confident that they will succeed.
© Stuart Cross 2009. All rights reserved.