Focus to Win

Anyone can say no to bad ideas, but only a focused person can say no to good ideas. Focus is about saying no.

When talking about one of the biggest lessons he learned from Steve Jobs, Jonny Ive said it was focus. This sounds really simplistic, but it still shocks me how few people actually practice this. Jobs was the most focused person in the world. Focus isn't a light switch you can turn on and off whenever you want to. It's something you have to practice every day.

Jobs would often test people, asking them, "how many things have you said no to." Ive was up to the task of answering, only he didn't mean it, and Jobs read right through him. What focus means is saying no to something that you, with every bone in your body, you think is a phenomenal idea and you wake up thinking about it, but you say no to it because you're focusing on something else.

The tendency of people and organizations is to lose focus. So one way to identify outstanding people is by their ability to commit and focus on something for a long period of time. The only people you should hire are focused ones. The only competitors you should worry about are the focused ones.

People naturally lose focus when they forget that focus means saying no to good opportunities and good people. Average ideas are everywhere, and they try to pull you in. If you start saying yes to average ideas, you quickly lose the space and time you need to execute on great ones.

Organizations lose focus in many ways, but the one that causes the most damage is bureaucracy. An organization where committees make decisions will always end up losing focus. When an organization loses focus, it opens the door to competitors who can focus.

Since focus requires saying no, it also means that really smart people and strong competitors are saying no to really good ideas. If you're a person trying to find your way in an organization, it's worth thinking about the most focused people around you and the best idea they're not working on.

If you look around, you'll notice the people and organizations moving the fastest are the focused ones. Focus turns energy into results. Narrow the focus. Raise the standard. And set yourself apart.

Source: The Power of Focus

The original article: https://fs.blog/focus-to-win/