The First Two Rules of Leadership

Don't Be StupidConcentrate

“I'm confident that my people know what they're supposed to be doing, but we seem to get less and less accomplished.”

—The Leader

“What the heck? Here we go again. We haven't even implemented the last grand plan. I am going to wait this one out; it will soon change back.”

—Your Team

The sun emits a billion kilowatts of energy per hour, yet we can deflect most of its harmful effects with an ultrathin application of sunscreen or a visor, which diffuses its energy. On the other hand, a laser beam focuses only a few kilowatts of energy. Yet this relatively weak source of energy can cut a diamond in half or even eradicate certain types of cancer. Your role as the leader is to maintain laser-like focus and concentrate on the things that are important to your success.

If you are like most leaders, your days are filled with clutter. Decluttering is not a new challenge. The source of your clutter may be new, but maintaining concentration and eliminating clutter has been around since the beginning of time. You can spend every hour of every day sorting through the clutter of “things” that pop up every day. Do most of the things that clutter your time and attention help you become the leader you want to become? Maybe not.

The reality is that you have so many things coming at you from so many different directions, you may feel like it is hard to concentrate and get anything done well. As soon as you put out one fire, another one flares up. You may not have any ...