Focus is everything

In the real estate business, there are a lot of different things that can demand our focus at any given time.  There are clients to respond to, inquiries to answer, agents and vendors to speak with, and that list doesn’t even include the various aspects of the actual business that need attention (marketing, service, lead generation, etc.)

Even though knowing where to apply your focus will change from time-to-time, focusing in the right place at the right time can often spell the difference between success and failure.  This is a lesson of which I was very vividly reminded during my recent time at officiating camp. . .

Learning About Focus the Hard Way

It was just after 8:30 am on Sunday, the last of the three full days of basketball games.  The early morning time, coupled with the mental and physical fatigue of constant officiating was bound to take a toll at some point, and boy did it ever.

About 3 minutes into the game, my crew and I were a bit off.  We just weren’t working together as smoothly was we would have liked.  Fatigue will do that.  One one trip down the floor, I missed a rotation, meaning that I was out of position.  I noticed it, and then I broke a cardinal rule of officiating– I took my eye off the player with the ball, who was MY responsibility.  I shifted my focus from where it should have been.  Instead, I took a glance at my partners so that I could figure out what the heck I was doing and get myself where I was supposed to be.

In the instant I shifted my focus, it happened–  the player who I should have been watching hit the floor, holding the ball.

THAT got my attention.  I caught just the last instant of the play, and when he hit the floor, the whole place went silent.  It went silent because everyone was waiting on my to blow my whistle.

I blew the whistle.  I had NO idea what to call.  None.  Completely blank.

I did the only thing I could think of that quickly– I called a jump ball and went to the possession arrow.  In that situation, it was the least of many potential evils.

The coach, who was standing right behind me and did see the whole thing (just my luck), almost went apoplectic.  Had it not been 8:30 on a Sunday morning, he probably would have, and I would have deserved it.

I did the only thing I could with the coach.  I went to him and said, “Coach, I missed that one.  You saw it.  I didn’t.  I lost focus.  My fault.”  Luckily, my admission diffused him as much as I could hope for, and the game went on.  It could have been much worse.  My momentary lack of focus could have really messed up the game for myself and my entire crew.

Focus is Everything

Just as in officiating, focus can mean everything in business.  Where you direct your time and attention can have a tremendous impact on how the rest of the game plays itself out.  As business people, we have to carefully consider what activities require our focus at any given time and concentrate on those activities 100%.

Sometimes, our focus must be on improving our marketing, other times on improving our service or education, and other times on meeting the immediate needs of our clients and customers.  It is a good idea to take stock of your business on a frequent basis so that you can help determine what area might need your focus at any given moment. If I would have done that on the basketball court, I would have realized that my focus needed to be on the play in front of me, and not on the position of my partners.

Taking stock might mean that you review and prioritize your tasks for the day.  It might mean that you review your business plan quarterly or even monthly to track your goal progress.  Try to get in the habit of self-evaluation so that you can easily determine where your focus needs to be at any given point.  Once you have done that, all that’s left is to FOCUS.  CONCENTRATE.  Give it 100%. You’ll be surprised how much more motivated you feel when you know that the work you are doing is the most important work to be done.

My momentary lack of focus had ramifications that lasted only minutes.  In a different situation, it might have determined the outcome of a game or a team’s entire season.  Like I said, I got lucky.

You don’t want to rely on luck.  Focus now.  Develop the focus necessary to lead you to your goals. Learn to direct your focus appropriately.  I know that basketball coaches appreciate it; and so will your bottom line.