As our economy improves, organizations are responding to all sorts of opportunities in an effort to establish solid footing for their next stage of growth.  As talented teams jump on these new opportunities, all too often optimism is quickly transforming into under performance.  When the objective was accelerating performance, companies find themselves wandering in a wasteland of once good ideas.  Why?  I believe it is a pervasive lack of focus, specifically, Strategic Focus. 

A lack of strategic focus often creeps in quietly.  Could a lack of strategic focus be taking your organization in the wrong direction?  How many of these symptoms do you observe?

The first symptom is inefficiency.  Are there endless questions that your team brings up and a wide array of opinions on the “right” answer?  Which is the best way to optimize this or that opportunity?  With inefficiency there is lots of activity: meetings and emails and an acute sense of urgency and even unofficial “launches” of solutions to take advantage of the opportunities now!  Instead of creating a pathway towards solid momentum forward, you get the distinct sensation that actions are expanding in a disjointed and potential chaotic fashion.  Ultimately, there are gaps and overlaps in these activities and multiple on-the-fly conference calls to settle everyone down, refocus their efforts and clarify who’s going to do what.  This works, but will the focus last?

The second symptom grows out of inefficiency, it is frustration.  You see people being very short tempered and your talented team becomes annoyed with each other.  Some start to over control and offend their peers while others openly articulating: “What are we doing?”  Doubt and cynicism start to over shadow optimism.  The job is getting done, but at what cost?

Disengagement is the third and most dire symptom of a lack of Strategic Focus. It often looks like poor participation in meetings, including very short answers from your once energetic team members.  They are still contributing, but only at a minimal level.  They’ve lost the optimism and you’ve lost access to their talent.  How do you reengage them?

Perhaps you see some or all of these symptoms in your organization?  Have you been frustrated by your organization’s inability to take advantage of opportunities and regain your growth?  It’s not too late.  You can reestablish Strategic Focus in your organization by establish a bit more discipline around the way which you approach new opportunities.  Here’s how:

1) Ask the question: “Is This the Right Opportunity for Us?”

Fully examine all the opportunities that are presenting themselves.

• Are these really opportunities?
• Are these really opportunities for you or are they for someone else?
• Be careful not to disparage an unusually or nascent idea examine all the opportunities brought to you with an even dose of encouragement and rigor.  A great idea may not be the right idea for you, but treating it with respect could plant the seed for another idea that is.

2) Ask the question: “Is This the Right Time for Us to Act?”

Properly vet the now much shorter list of opportunities against your organization’s Strategic Goals.

• Will this opportunity get you where you want to go or will it take you off track?
• Will responding to this mean sacrificing resources or focus for something else that is more core to your goals?
• Will not responding to this opportunity put you at a disadvantage?

3) “Greenhouse” opportunity development. 

You should now have a much more focused concept.

• Create a very small group to take on the development of this opportunity. 
• Insist on free access to any resources they feel necessary to complete the first milestone in developing the opportunity. 
• Continue to invest as the plan matures into a winning strategy.  
• Let the rest of your team focus on your existing business.  When you believe the plan is ready to begin implementation, introduce it to your organization and integrate it into your operations. 

Using this 3-step method of developing emerging strategies separate from core business operations will ensure you maintain performance on your current business while continually seeking new opportunities for future growth.  This disciple of balancing focus on both core strategies and emerging is a hallmark of Strategic Focus.