To become a successful entrepreneur there are many personal requirements. Two critical requirements are clarity and focus.
Clarity
Many people think clarity is simple, that it’s an overall understanding of the goals they want to reach. They make a list of all the things they want to achieve and assume the clarity piece is done. Unfortunately, it just isn’t that easy. Often what happens is that the goals identified are not the ultimate goal because there is an overall lack of purpose. For example, making a lot of money isn’t a clear personal goal, as money is a means to an end, whether security, freedom or status.
A critical question you need to ask yourself in figuring out your true goals is WHY does your business exist?
- Is it to be the best in the market?
- To make the world a better place?
- To help people solve problems?
This understanding is essential to charting your course. Additionally, having a clear, easily communicated goal is extremely helpful in getting others on board, whether it’s customers, employees, business partners or investors. People want to be involved in organizations that have a purpose. By being able to confidently state your vision you increase excitement and buy-in for your business.
Getting to a clear vision isn’t a one-time event. The business and market will continue to evolve, and the vision will change with it. As these changes occur, any entrepreneur who hopes to continue to be successful will need to update their vision as needed.
Focus
If clarity helps you see your destination, focus is how you get there. Building a successful business requires a lot of work and even the most driven and hardworking founder only has so much time and attention to give.
Another important question is does this get us closer to the goal? Focusing on the critical decisions and delegating the items that you don’t need to do is important and necessary to accomplish your business goals. Focus requires a skill that can be challenging for people, saying ‘no.’ Your time and attention is important. Paring down things that don’t contribute to achieving your goals is the only way to successfully attain them.
Much like clarity, achieving focus isn’t an event but a process. Reconsidering what is important as business and personal needs change is critical and required to stay on course.
Clarity and Focus are both needed to run a successful business. They provide you with both a goal to achieve and a plan to achieve it. Keeping the goal in sight, focusing on the issues that require your personal attention, and delegating the rest gets you well on the path to a successful new business.
For additional reading on Leadership, Clarity and Focus go to: How To Forge Your Own Leadership Path And Get Unstuck From Behind Your Desk