Whenever you get a new prescription for your glasses, you realize how things had become blurred.  Because this blurring happens gradually, you often are not aware of it until you get your new prescription.  Suddenly things become clear, and you see new clarity in things you had not noticed in the past.  Another aspect of glasses is that they help you see the world around you.  They are designed to help you look outwardly and see people, places, and things that were not clear.

As leaders, our focus must be outward in a number of ways.  First, we must focus on our team members.  This includes focusing on how we can develop their strengths, appreciating their contributions, and engaging them around our mission.  Your team must be one of your highest priorities.  Without them, you cannot service your clients.

We must also focus on our clients.  Clients are the reason we exist.  So often leaders get focused instead on profits or on the process of what we produce.  However, profit is really the byproduct of doing an excellent job for your clients.  Therefore, we must focus on understanding their needs, using resources and innovation to meet those needs, and developing strong relationships to stay in step with their emerging trends.

Finally, we must view our vendors and community stakeholders as essential as well.  Too often they are left behind and given little attention.  Just imagine if that key material you buy for a vendor is no longer available because that vendor goes out of business.  Or if that vendor decides that you are not their ideal client and decides to increase the price for materials or fires you as a client.  Vendors and stakeholders in the community are essential to our success.

We can only succeed when we have the right focus.

Do you put a priority on viewing others as a top priority?  Or are you focusing on the urgent items which often include things like reports, meetings, and tasks?  Leadership calls us to sacrifice for others, prioritize the right things, and grow through strong relationships.

Begin today to change your priorities in order to focus on what is truly most important, the people around you.