psychology

The Keys to Focus: Focus is something that must evolve as you do, but the keys to it remain the same: 1. Self-Control 2. Honing in & Blocking out 3. Locking yourself into the goals first (despite the big picture goals and knowledge you have), then locking in everyone else to be rallied around the most important thing(s)…and pushing the charge in a

I had a founder who was stoked about really taking over the industry he was in, competing with the big players, and seeing the clear opportunities ahead. There were a lot of things he was interested in, but he had one answer when asked, “What’s the one thing that would get you there?” He needed a push to increase transactions on platform, or what

Stage Three: Experienced Leader Remember, you are still carrying the things above…but finally, it’s time to expand and add focus around: • Seeing all possible paths, being excited about them, and keeping the team focused on the specific goals in the immediate term vs long term.

• Restraint to not share the entire landscape (blocking from others),

As you scale, you will have to maintain that personal focus, but now there is an extension to this focus…and that is the addition of other people. Whether you are starting a company or just starting to manage others in your role, you now have to think about maintaining their focus too

tap into this level of focus, there are two factors at play: 1. Your ability to hone in. Can you concentrate deeply, effectively, and for long periods of time? This is deceptively simple, and it’s an area that trips many people up. However, it’s only one half of the equation.

2. Your ability to block out. This isn’t just keeping noise and distractions

This doesn’t always get easier as you get more successful. Sometimes, in fact, it gets harder. You have more optionality, you have more resources to work with. There will always be other things you could have done, other routes to take, other options for your day/week/company/life. Short-term, long-term, and a million miles in between.

The next

I’m talking about the self- control to select something and see it through in a world full of seemingly endless options.

Eating glass.

Grit is Half the Story, and the Other Half Brings it Home I often quote the research that there are two traits most highly correlated with success: grit and self-control. The former is one most people are familiar with, but I want to zoom in on the latter….

Defined as “the capacity to regulate attention, emotion, and behavior in the presence of

Most people talk about focus as a singular concept, but it’s not. It changes as your journey does, and how you keep your laser focus has to continue to evolve or you’ll fall off track at various points.

Beginners require one type of focus, builders require another, and seasoned execs/experienced founders/CEOs require yet another still.