Something that differentiates top performers from others is that they stay focused on the end result. They don’t just write a report or complete an assignment; they think about how their work can have the greatest impact on the end result or user.
The workplace is filled with busy people, and some might offer the excuse that they’re just too buried to bring project x to the next level. Although this may be true, those who break through the busy-ness barrier do it regularly.
Much of this busy-ness comes from flurries of activity to create the perception of being busy. Top performers don’t need to create busy-ness. To paraphrase Stephen Covey, they begin with the end in mind and work to achieve the desired conclusion.
I describe this as a laser-like focus. People who have this talent know how to cull what isn’t relevant or important and synthesize the essential.
How do you cultivate this? Start by knowing the outcome that your end user (for example, your client, your boss, your board of directors) seeks. You may have no direct interaction with the end user, but it’s imperative for you to project your thinking to the highest result for that end user.
Technology can be friend and foe when you’re trying to be focused. We know how it can help (and does so differently depending on what you’re working on).
But if you’re eyeballing email while working on something else, it’s impossible to be fully focused. The art of multitasking can help us get more done when it comes to minor things, but it’s the enemy when it comes to focus.
Your perspective changes when you apply a laser focus. You conceptualize in different ways. You deepen your degree of critical thinking. You will develop greater clarity.
As you fine tune your laser focus, you’ll distinguish yourself in new ways. When it becomes your habit, it will change how you view yourself and the world around you.
Header image by Mark Arron Smith/Pexels.
