Week 29: Why to focus exclusively on what ONLY you can do
this is what you team and your organization needs
the hardest thing to do in the early days is learning to prioritize.
come to find out, it never gets easier.
but one thing stays the same.
when you focus on what ONLY you can do, you are actually moving the ball forward.
that’s a hard lesson.
for example, we talked about having a lane of genius in my previous posts for everyone identified as you hire and that is the first step towards building a high-performing teams.
my job right now as the CEO is to be an SDR to open new doors given my network and relationships. Period.
i have to be on sales calls and do my part.
i have lean in and lead from the front and not sit in simply internal meetings.
if i don’t do that, momentum sucks, deal don’t close faster, things start looking harder.
one of the other founders job is to create killer research work.
somedays, that’s all he is doing with no meeting or fires to fight.
we have to create an environment to give that space because the research is our product.
another founders job is to help close deals and run all the operations because even if someone says yes, it could take 2 months to sign the paper work and get going which is not great for early stage start up from a cash flow perspective.
the point is simply this:
when we are all are doing what ONLY we can do, we can say NO to certain meetings and everyone will appreciate that.
but when we say YES to everything, you are actually not helping.
hard lesson for me personally and the goal is to find and operate as long as possible in your lane of genius.
and it’s a daily fight.
on a personal note:
next week, i am doing a talk on bringing work (skills) home for a billion dollar global company.
in my early leadership days, i kept work and home separate as if i am operating on two different planets.
well, that’s not entirely healthy or smart.
for example, as a business, we have a mission statement and we talk about it all the time.
as a matter of fact, first meeting of every week, we talk about our vision, mission and purpose to make sure we all are aligned.
so at home why shouldn’t we have a family mission statement that keeps us grounded and focused on what’s important and how to operate.
well, if you have any other ideas on how to bring work (skills) home, drop in the comments or just email me back.
Leader point: When you deploy your work (skills) home, appropriately, you will find fulfillment both at work and at home.
Never easy to be the founder and keep focus! You have to get your stuff done and the trust the team and others will get their part done! Also, love your frameworks!
BIG respect for the humility and tenacity to do WHATEVER is necessary for the team to win - even if that means cleaning toilets.