The Qualities of a
Leader:
8. Focus
Have you ever wondered why lion tamers hold a stool or a chair when
they are in front of a lion? Why not a
baseball bat, or a stun gun, or a shield?
The answer is that when
the trainer holds the stool with the legs extended toward the lion, the lion
will try to focus on all four legs at once and that will paralyze it.
Or to
put it another way, an old proverb says that, if you chase two rabbits, both
will escape.
What
this law is saying is that, if you want to accomplish anything of value, you
need to focus on it. That means knowing
clearly what it is that you want. If you
don’t know what it is you want, you won’t be doing the things that you need to
do to accomplish it.
So the
first thing is to know what it is you want to do. Sounds simple enough except I am not sure
most people really know what it is they want to do with their life. Then, when you have that figured out, you often
have to break that down into its components to see what the next step is. Maxwell tells the story of Tony Gwynn, a
professional baseball player who has since retired.
So what kind of goals might a professional
baseball player have? He might have
a goal just to stay in the major leagues, or he might have a goal to be the best
baseball player there is. But even that
isn’t good enough. What would a perfect baseball player be like? He would hit for power and he would hit for
average. He would have great speed and
catch everything hit or thrown in his direction. And, depending on his position, he could
throw the ball a long distance with both accuracy and force. Tony focussed on being the best hitter he
could be. Nobody will remember how his fielding
was, or his throwing, or his speed. But
they will remember that he was the best hitter since, perhaps, Ted Williams.
The
fact is that few players can excel in more than a few of these at the same
time. The reason? To improve, they
need to focus. If there is too much to
focus on, they will become paralyzed like the lion with the stool. With effort a player can improve in every
area, but generally it is only when he focuses on that one thing that he will
excel at it.
There
was a commercial on television some years ago about how a company was the best
at what they did, because “they only did one thing.” Few of us have that option, but there are
things that we are good at. Maxwell says
that effective leaders “spend more time focussing on what they do well than on
what they do wrong.” p. 54 He recommends spending about 70% of your
energy on what you do well.
This may not be generally accepted
as truth. Some people will tell you
that you need to focus on your weaknesses, and when those improve, you will be
better all around. But, “ ‘the great
mystery isn’t that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few
things well. The only thing that is
universal is incompetence. Strength is
always specific! Nobody every commented,
for example, that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz probably couldn’t play the
trumpet very well.’ To be successful,
focus on your strengths and develop them.
That’s where you should pour your time, energy, and resources.” p. 54
Having said all this, the fact
still remains that growth involves change, and change means new things. As adults, the only positive changes at this
point in our lives come through learning and work. To learn anything, a person needs to learn
how to say both: “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.” Both can be very hard things to do.
So to be the best at whatever it is
we want to do: first identify what your gifts and strengths are and focus on
developing them. Don’t get sidetracked
on things that can distract you. But
then, be sensitive to those things that you may be avoiding that would make you
better if did those too. That’s one
reason why “the meek will inherit the earth.”
They’re not too proud to say they can’t learn anything new.
