Staying focused in an increasingly distracting world

We all understand that staying focused in our personal lives can be somewhat challenging. Whether you are single, married, have children or are engaged in other multitudes of activities. It can be tough to stay focused on the things that matter most. In working with clients, I have noticed that it has become one of our biggest challenges in business. It is not enough to set clear goals and plan strategically. When it comes to execution, as we filter the plans downstream and hear grassroots concerns bottom up, it is very easy to become distracted and lose focus. Strategic plans are only effective when they 1) have taken sufficient data into consideration (external market and client intelligence and importantly also internal knowledge across the organization), 2) have been subjected to rigorous scenario testing (making sure they will work for the company AND clients), and 3) have clear alignment with the organization, its people and objectives. Real execution is key but it can only happen if strategy and implementation are planned together from the beginning.