The #1 Law of Entrepreneurship states that “opportunity will always exceed resource”.
Just ask anyone in the middle of a ‘start up’ and they’ll tell you that their greatest frustration is in not being able to bring more resource (time, $$, people, energy, expertise) to the table to execute on their idea.
The same goes for established businesses wanting to drive innovation and business development.
Fact is I’ve never met anyone yet – start up or established – who has claimed they have all the resource they need!
So here’s the trick. It is all about building momentum – and momentum is all about directing your attention (resources) on a few key things that will get your boat moving in the right direction and in the right sequence.
Organisations tend to grow in the direction they focus their attention and that is always at its most powerful when the whole crew is paddling in the same direction.
You may well want to diversify your offer, reduce costs, improve customer service, innovate service delivery, de-risk, rationalise and standardise, simplify the business, increase margins, outsource, drive revenue growth (these are just some of the more common things on a business owner’s wish list) – but the fact is you can’t achieve focus by trying to be all things to all people all at the same time.
It is far better to do one or two things really (really) well, because where your attention goes the energy flows and the results show.
Try this simple little test. Stop what you are doing right now, get your Team together and ask them individually what is their current major ‘focus’. You’ll soon know whether you are all paddling in the same direction with focus, purpose and clarity.
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