Becoming a Leader: Challenge #11–Focus
A FranklinCovey study on goals revealed the following:
1. If you have 2-3 primary goals, you will most likely accomplish 2-3 of them.
2. If you have 3-10 primary goals, you will most likely accomplish 1 or 2 of them.
3. If you have more than 10 primary goals, you will most likely accomplish none of them.
Like a lot of things in life: less is more. If you want to succeed, focus on the goals that are most important and most in alignment with your values. Pare down the list, as difficult as that might be.
Southwest Airlines prides itself on being the low-cost provider, and being the low-cost provider helps them make focused decisions. They never debate the benefits of chicken salad sandwiches or tuna wraps on their flights, since those would add to their costs. That doesn’t mean they skimp on equipment or training, however. Low-cost means that you take care of your equipment, and you train your pilots and crew very well because the loss of one aircraft, crew, and passengers is very expensive. To my knowledge, Southwest has never lost a passenger’s life or an aircraft. They have a focused goal of low cost, and that goal drives their business.
Becoming a Leader: Talent #11–Energy Begets Energy
Energy, like a smile or a yawn, is contagious. Athletes motivate their team members by showing their energy. Dynamic speakers motivate their audience with energy and enthusiasm. Musical concerts are often full of high energy theater to get the crowd involved. In the infamous words of the late Zig Ziglar: “Motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Your team is watching. Let them see your energy and excitement for the mission. It’s contagious.