The art of re-focusing as an entrepreneur
Re-focusing. One of the most essential skills for an entrepreneur, and arguably one which separates the good from the truly great. I often use the terms re-focus and re-centre interchangeably but essentially they refer to one’s ability to quickly get back on track and move forward with a goal-oriented mind after a setback or a distraction.
There are many events which can cause an entrepreneur to veer of course, after all, the countless ups and downs one experiences in the entrepreneurial journey mean it should be entirely expected for such things to happen. However, when this does occur, many individuals are overly critical of themselves for having been distracted or losing focus, but this is phenomenonally counterproductive. Whilst I acknowledge that it would be preferable for such events to never happen or seldom happen, the reality is that they do. Therefore, the key is not to try and prevent such inevitabilities, but rather to master the art of getting back on track as soon as possible — this way minimal time is lost to distractions and one can continue to move forward.
The nature of events which throw one of course vary in severity, it could be something as heartbreaking as the passing of a family member or close friend, or something as comparably trivial, although it may not seem trivial in the short-term, as not closing on a client you’ve been attempting to secure for 3 months. Now, I don’t want to sound like I am underestimating the impact such events can have on us, I’m not at all. What I am trying to do is highlight that allowing yourself to become consumed by such events only exacerbates the negative impact they’ll have on you — a distraction sets you back even further.
Unfortunately I am not yet a master of this skill, although I am improving. I typically find it takes me about 24 hours to fully re-centre after a major loss of focus, whatever the reason for that may be. However, I must admit, I am fortunate enough to not yet have experienced bereavement — for that, who knows how long I would take to re-centre?
This attitude and approach to life which I’m encouraging is applicable to almost everyone, not exclusively entrepreneurs. But why do I believe it is particularly important to entrepreneurs? Because we are leaders upon whom others rely for guidance and structure. If you, the leader, are not fully focused and at the races then you must expect this to slowly permeate into your team’s focus too — the compounding effects of this could be severe unless addressed quickly.
I would be interested to hear about the techniques you use to re-centre, and how long it typically takes you — please do leave a comment!
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