Politics aside, the one-day government shutdown, and upcoming potential for further shut-down activities, has highlighted the daily distractions we all deal with as leaders. Whether consulting or leading a business, I see many companies make plans and then, life seems to somehow get in the way. Maybe it’s a challenging customer, or an employee issue, or a new contract award…the list goes on.
Distractions are Deterrent to Success
We set business goals and priorities and then seem to be distracted by much of the day- to-day happenings within the organization. Afterwards, we look back and try to figure out where things may have gone off course. An imperative to success is that priorities stay the priority.
Focus and Accountability are Essential
Find ways to create your own accountability and set accountability for others. Set reminders. Get a communication plan in place to reinforce your priorities. Put up signs that convey priorities to your team. Assign groups to be hyper-focused on specific priorities, including handling of the day-to-day issues. Put processes in place that will assure portions of the business run on their own. Use all the tactics and messaging that you can to re-enforce that your business priorities are kept as priorities and the distractions never win your attention. These strategies and policies will go a long way in helping to keep your priorities the priority.
