Ian G Brown.com

A really important thing that every business owner needs to do at the end of every year is to evaluate successes and failures in their business over the previous year. You need to do a review of what worked and what did not. I recently finished my review for 2009 and had to share my major finding so you too can benefit from it.

I found the one single common thing lacking where I failed to meet my expectations in my business in 2009 was focus.

Focus is one of the most important facets of success in anything and definitely in business. And I have said a number of times before that self education and development comes before business development. So we need to be focused with regard to both our education and the tasks we perform in our business.

Having said that, I found in 2009, it was so easy to become distracted. There were all sorts of things happening in the world economy and in my local domain. There were also many product releases and webinars on a multitude of subjects, in a multitude of areas, from a multitude of fine people.

We are tempted to pick up this product and that on the promise of improved productivity or results. I have heard this referred to as shiny object syndrome. Ultimately doing this comes from a lack of focus and results in overwhelm.

In 2009, I fell into this trap on a number of occasions and to show for it, I now have some great products still in their wrappers on my shelf, and some great notes from webinars, upon which I have not taken any action. Clearly the money and time could have been better utilized.

I have spoken to a few people about this and discovered that I am not alone. I heard about many other people who love to learn, study, buy training, and attend every free webinar that comes through their inbox, but have a real tough time ‘following through’ on any of it. 

They become overwhelmed. They’re not sure what to start on or finish. Just when they begin on something, a ‘better way’ pops into their inbox and they’re off again learning the new best kept secrets to doing whatever it is. And they achieve limited results.

You need to learn how to only focus on what you just learned until you have fully applied it, before you start on the next thing. You need to know when to say “no”. It will vary depending on where you’re at in your business. Knowing this, and what your next step should be, is vital to moving forward successfully.  

It’s really about the strategy of focus, knowing how to design your own training and business development game plan, preventing overwhelm and knowing exactly what you are supposed to be focusing on next in your business (and then next, and then next, etc)

Well I was guilty of ‘shiny object syndrome’ on occasions in 2009, however, to make matters worse, I also sometimes found myself thinking about and working on minor issues instead of the major ones which would contribute most to the bottom line of my business.   

Focus is the first thing I am looking to improve in 2010 to significantly improve my level of success, and you should too. The Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule comes to mind. That is eighty percent of your results comes from twenty percent of your work. The twenty percent of your work needs to be concentrated or focused on the major things in your business that work the best and that will produce the greatest results for you and your customers.  

So I have said that you need to design your own training and business development game plan, so you know exactly what you are supposed to be focusing on next in your business. However there are a number of other areas of focus on which you need to work to create success this year.   

Firstly, you need to focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Your motivation needs to come from what you want. Focus on what you want.

Next, you need to focus on your tasks, those for which you are responsible. Do not concern yourself with the responsibilities of others. In other words, mind your own business. Moving your focus to the responsibilities of others only detracts from your performance, efficiency and ultimately your productivity. Focus on your tasks.

In performing your tasks, focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. Focus on results, on the solution, not the problem. One comment I often hear when talking to people is that they do not know enough, they are not an expert. You cannot wait until you get there. You need to start now. Focus on what you can do and take action.

So when focusing on what you can do, you then need to focus on what you can improve, not what you can’t improve. You need to work in the area of your skills. If you don’t have the capacity to improve something, for example, the world economy, don’t spend any time on it. Focus on what you can improve.

Focus on working to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses. Just because you can do it does not mean you should be doing it. Think about the Pareto Principle and efficiencies and maximum results. Focus on your strengths.

Finally, focus on people, not money and not rewards. Focus on how you can help people succeed. You know already that when you help people get what they want, you will accomplish what you want.  Focus on people.

And one last thing. I have noticed that focus is infectious. If you are focused on a task, so will the people around you become focused on their tasks. So your focus will create more focus and therefore greater productivity all round.

I believe that if you work on your focus now, you will be well on your way to success in 2010.

And please share this post with your friends and followers on Twitter, Facebook, and other forums. This is important information that EVERY entrepreneur should be exposed to…

Let’s rock 2010 together

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