If you asked me to help you determine whether your team or organization is focused on what’s most important to the business, I would look at six indicators. They are all individually important, but together paint a comprehensive picture of focus. I can tell a lot of things about an organization from analyzing these indicators.
Rate your team or organization from 1-10: 1 = Does not describe my team, 10 = Highly descriptive of my team
_____ The mission, goals, and top priorities are known and understood by all employees.
_____ The desired drumbeat is clear. The desired pace, speed or work, and sense of urgency is known and shared. Natural cycles are understood and managed.
_____ People are spending time on relevant work (relevance means that tasks support what’s most important).
_____ The organization is aligned. We are set up for success. Our structure, roles, systems and processes optimally support our goals.
_____ The organization is self-correcting. Problems are caught quickly and failures don’t often blind-side us.
_____ We achieve great results without overstressing the organization.
I would not expect all ones or tens, as most companies struggle with a few of these indicators. It is helpful to notice your organization’s most troubling barriers and see how these connect to the six indicators of focus. I link these indicators to focus because they affect how people make choices about how to spend their precious time.
Bring this checklist into your next staff meeting for a lively and helpful discussion that will help you determine which improvements will most help you and your team focus. You can also use this tool to assess the health and focus of your customer/supplier relationships.