Eating Soup With a Fork!
Focus too hard on the rain, and you miss the glorious sun!
FOCUS ... Keep your eye on the ball, target marketing, niche, dig an inch wide and a mile deep. I am sure you have heard one or more of these phrases in the past. I'm here to call BS to this! I want you to think about something for just a moment.
If we are focusing so hard on our objective, how many opportunities or ideas go by without us acting on them? Research shows that we only use 2% to 10% of our brain consciously. That means, up to 98% of the time we are operating in the unconscious mind. When you are eating soup, you don't use a fork to pick out all the meat and potatoes. You use a spoon so you can also gather up the savory flavor of the broth. Using a fork gets you full, but you may not enjoy the entire experience.
Leadership
As this is a leadership blog, now think about running a company. Analyzing spreadsheets, sales data, OEE, efficiency, productivity. Yes, those are important statistics that give you some clarity in a specific situation, but not the entire picture. Management by walking around, connecting with people, building bridges between management and team members that can only be traversed by conversation, not numbers. That is how we lead. We must look to add value to our team and our inner circle.
It is said that 85% of a leaders time is spent on people related issues. Where are the statistics in how many smiles are given out? Remember what Zig Ziglar says, "if someone doesn't have a smile, give them yours". We spend so much of our energy on 'focusing' that we are missing the nuances in leadership. Watching closely for reactions from your team, listening to their problems, and asking them questions. God gave us 2 eyes, 2 ears, and 1 mouth, we need to use them in that proportion. You don't do that by keeping your eye on the ball, you do that through connection.
Ways to work on this ...
As a John Maxwell and Zig Ziglar Certified Coach, Trainer, and Speaker, I can work with you and your team specifically on these items. Take a look at my upcoming events, webinars, and workshops. At the Kole Performance Group, we work hard today, for a better tomorrow.