Lock in, Let Go, Create Flow

Leading your team into Flow with Laser Focus

Leading laser focus. The lead it series is going to sound pretty redundant at the start of each article, because leading is about living these principles. You can’t lead your team if you aren’t practicing what you preach. When it comes to laser focus, that means you have to be locked into the present moment, focused on what you can control, and refocus quickly when you realize your mind has wandered away from what’s important now.

You know that the irony of winning is that you can’t control results and outcomes. You can’t control whether you win or lose. Your team can’t either. Focusing on winning and losing is fools gold. Everyone wants to win, your job as the leader is to get your team to focus on doing what it takes to give themselves the best chance to win. Instead of focusing on results, you are focused on executing the game plan. Instead of getting on your team when actions don’t lead to the desired results, you push the to take the right actions no matter what.

When it comes to leading laser focus, you are playing a different game than the one being tracked on the scoreboard. You want to make sure your team is locked into the present moment competing to the best of their ability.

How do you do that? Follow these three steps:

1. Focus on what is in your control: As a leader, it is your job to direct the team’s focus. You have the power to focus them on things that are out of their control or things that are in their control. The natural tendency is to focus on the things that are out of their control. Results are easier to measure than executing on the process. As the leader, take the time to define for your team what winning and losing looks like in your eyes. This doesn’t mean you don’t use the results and outcomes as a measuring stick of your progress, it means you put everything in the right place. Results are a measuring stick of growth, not a determinant of your team’s value.
2. Own the Setbacks: As the leader, you are the one in charge of setting the game plan and getting your team prepared. If you encounter challenges and setbacks, be the first one to accept responsibility and set a new course. Do what is in your control to course correct and set a new plan for your team. Let everyone know that things don’t always go as planned and with challenges and setbacks come opportunities for everyone to grow and learn. Analyze the setbacks, make your corrections, and keep moving forward.
3. So What! Next Play: In the heat of competition, it is easy to lose our focus. It is easy to get caught up in whether we are achieving the desired results or not. As a leader, it is your job to recognize when your members of your team have lost their focus. Simply notice it, bring it to their attention, and tell them to refocus fast and get onto the next play. Maintaining focus under pressure isn’t easy. As a leader, you can get the whole team on board to hold each other accountable starting with you. Losing your focus is ok, refusing to move on once you have been made aware isn’t. A mistake is ok, not moving on after a mistake is not. The difference between making a mistake and not moving on is that you can’t control mistakes. They will happen. You can control the decision to move on once you are aware.

Leading laser focus has two parts. First, you have to live the principles yourself. Living the principles yourself will make it easier for you to lead them. Don’t worry if you aren’t perfect. Mental training doesn’t require perfection, it requires practice. Second, you have to be the guide for your team. When the pressure is on, focus will be challenged. As a leader (and as a team) set the expectations to focus only on the things you can control and stick to it. When you find yourself or others deviating and focusing on results, simply bring them back to what they can control.

If you are able to lead the first two pillars, you are going to put yourself and your team in a great position to have success in any competitive environment.

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