focus – Page 2 – CainEllsworth

Zero In

“Wherever you are, make sure you’re there.” – Dan Sullivan Human beings are easily distracted. We might be in the middle of doing something we think is really important, and then suddenly a bright shiny object appears and we’re completely distracted. It seems like we’re always looking for the next exciting thing that’s going to … Read more

What Are You Looking At?

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought into a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell Today’s topic isn’t new, but it never gets old either. Leaders everywhere feel like they don’t have enough time. They show up for work, work hard all day long, and at … Read more

What Matters Most

“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker One of the things I hear leaders talk about repeatedly is productivity. Usually, the conversation is about how they – as well as the rest of the organization – need to be more productive. Most organizations … Read more

Happy Labor Day!

“Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all. Laugh, rest, slow down.” – Anne Lamott In our part of the world, we have a holiday weekend coming up. Whatever your weekend plans look like, take some time to recharge. We’re not designed to go nonstop without a break. Relax, refresh, and … Read more

Say No To Good Stuff

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” – Steve Jobs Early in my career, I thought I understand the primary idea of leading an organization, at least when it came … Read more

Craziness

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln For most people reading this, availability of the things we want has rarely been a problem over the past few decades. If we want to buy something, we go to the store and it’s there. If our businesses want something, we call a vendor and … Read more

Who’s A Fit?

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” – Winston Churchill Last week in this space the topic was focus & the idea that we need to figure out what we do well and stick to it without getting distracted by every new possibility. One of … Read more

Know What You Are

“Indiscriminate action is a form of laziness.” – Tim Ferris We’re taught early on in our careers to try & make people happy. When customers approach us and ask if we can help, we almost instinctively say “yes”. We’re paranoid about customers going somewhere else, so we agree to do whatever they want or need. … Read more

These 2 Things Make a Difference

“It’s taken me all my life to learn what not to play.” – Dizzy Gillespie Last week in this space the topic was focus, and the importance of zeroing on what matters and getting your people to do the same. Based on some of the feedback I got, that’s a topic that people tend to … Read more

What Should They Do?

“The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break.” – John Madden As leaders, we are bombarded by ideas and information about how we’re supposed to manage people. If you search the internet for “manage people” you get about 7.75 billion hits. There are books, articles, podcasts, training courses … Read more

GPS Blog

It's time to go "Beyond the Numbers".