In the past four years, I have dealt with several companies that were either in bankruptcy or on the verge of being there. The first thing I observed in all cases is their inability to focus as an organization. It seemed that every day was spent running around putting fires out. This fire-fighting consumed the majority of everyones time and effort. Everything was a crisis and each day they got further and further behind in meeting customer schedules and deliveries.
When this situation occurs, the best thing to do is step back and ask yourself what is the top priority. What is going to make or break you as an organization? I have found that people can’t focus on multiple goals at the same time, especially with the overwhelming stress caused by the day-to-day grind. The grind consumes all their energy and time and leaves little for much else.
In reading Jim Collins’ book Good To Great, the one thing that stuck me was the ability of the “great companies” to focus and stay disciplined to their goal. It wasn’t easy, but they worked at it everyday. Everyone and every function had the same goal in mind and they made it happen.
How many goals does your organization have? Ten? Twenty? Maybe it’s time you focus your efforts on the one goal that’s going to make a major difference in your business.