Be the Best at What Matters Most: The Only Strategy You will Ever Need

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Focus 3 Ninety

What Matters Most Right Now?

It's easy to get stuck in the trap of overthinking things. That trap becomes especially dangerous (and tempting) when we're thinking about “big” questions like what matters most. I've been on those two- and three-day strategic planning retreats where everyone sat around a U-shaped configuration of tables and used up dozens of pages of flip chart paper as they attempted to come up with the big answers to the big questions such as “What are our highest, greatest aspirations?” or “How can we make a difference in the world?” or “What do we offer that is completely unique and can't be done by anyone else?”

Quite honestly, after participating in more of those kinds of visioning sessions than I can count, I have to say that most of them produce less-than-optimal results. The pressures of time and just wanting to get something down on paper so that we can say we succeeded often end up resulting in grand statements that just don't ring true on a gut level.

I'll say it again: No one is a bigger fan of doing grand and glorious things than I am. I vote yes. I also vote yes on sometimes just saying, “Let's make great carburetors,” and getting on with it. Consider that you might be best serviced by whittling things down to size for now so that you can take action and start creating better results. Let's shift the question from what matters most in our universe to what matters most right now for our company and our customers.

One of the great benefits ...