At a meeting with Guy this morning he made a comment about my being happy to no longer be involved with a local chapter of a national women's networking group. I agreed that I was happy about it and told him that they're disbanding as a chapter. When he asked me why I told him they never found their focus so they were never able to attract a decent number of members.
We then talked for a few minutes about how important focus is for any organization.
It's true. Whether you're running a club, a business, a ministry, or your life...you need to have a clear focus for what you're trying to accomplish.
Call it your vision, your mission, your purpose...whatever you call it, it ends up giving you clarity around everything. Decisions are easier, planning is easier. As a copywriter and strategist I can tell you my job is easier and I write better copy when the client is crystal clear on what they're trying to accomplish.
If you're finding it hard to motivate the people in your organization it's probably because you haven't clearly communicated your organization's overall vision. You haven't helped them understand how what they're doing fits in and supports the vision and mission.
You can't even consistently hire the best employees if you don't have clarity and focus because you don't have a clear grasp on the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are most important.
Here's a New Year's resolution for you leaders out there: Make this the year that you get clear about your focus and communicate that focus to everyone in your organization. Help them understand how they contribute to achieving that focus and help them see the vital role they play.
If they choose to leave, that's OK. They need to be committed to the focus for you to achieve it. It creates an opening for someone who wants to help you accomplish what you want to accomplish.
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