AVOIDING DISTRACTORS.

A leaders attention is their most valuable commodity. We all have a limited amount of time and energy. And as a leader, knowing what to focus on and what to ignore is a critical lever that will often distinguish between success or failure; great results or good results. Distractions can take on multiple forms, but their effect is the same. They cause a leader's energy to be misplaced - sometimes with devastating consequences. The best example I can provide of this happened to me years ago when I was driving my car. I hate flies, and inevitably, while driving on a hot July afternoon, I discovered a fly in my car. Trapped with the ‘beast’ on the highway, my air-conditioning on full blast, I comically set about to end the life of this agitator with a rolled up magazine that I found on my passenger seat. But after a few moments of reckless driving, it dawned on me that in my zeal to rid myself of this nuisance, I was in danger of losing control of my car. (Never mind the fact I could have just rolled down all my windows!) Finding myself back in my right mind, I distilled this lesson, “Don’t wreck the car for the fly that’s in it.” A few key questions can assist leaders in determining whether the issue they are facing is substantive or a 'distractor': (1) Does this person or issue have the ability to derail my personal mission, or the mission of the organization? (2) Does the person or issue have the potential to cause a temporary impact of minor import, or a more permanent impact with major ramifications? (3) Is this person or issue something that only I can address, or is there someone else who can address the issue more effectively or who is better positioned to address the issue. #LeadWithoutDistractions

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