5 Keys to Being a Focused Leader

Being a leader comes with heavy responsibilities. You not only have to work for yourself, but you also have a group of people to guide and lead. And to be a great leader, you need to have several qualities. Now, it is important to possess great communication skills, an innovative mind, a motivational thinking style, and the likes. However, it is even more important to be focused. The more focused you are, the better you will do your job. Being focused helps you become a better person, and ultimately a better leader. This focus can help you achieve your leadership goals and help you reach success. Here are the 5 keys to being a focused leader:

Become self-aware

First things first, you need to be self-aware. Self-awareness is crucial for emotional intelligence, which in turn, is important for being a leader. And leaders who listen to their inner voice have more resources to draw on and make decisions from.

So, the first thing you would need to do is to connect with your inner self. This means listening to all of your emotions. For instance, your gut feeling may be telling you that a certain decision is going to be terrible. Now, facts aside, intuition should not be ignored.

This also implies that you need to accept when you are wrong. You would also need to accept the defeat that comes your way. Only when you do not suppress your emotions do you truly learn to master them. And that is how you start becoming self-aware.

A self-aware leader would be able to understand and empathize with his followers better.

Strengthen your mental focus

This is one thing that almost every single one of us has a hard time achieving. Besides the fact that there are too many distractions around us, our brains are not designed to stay focused. I mean, that’s one of the reasons why humans considered making bots.

But as a leader, you cannot afford to stay distracted. How are you supposed to lead people if you cannot stay focused yourself? Therefore, you need to develop hyper-focus.

Here are some simple steps that you can try to strengthen your mental focus:

Eliminate distractions

Put aside your phone, turn off the emails. Just cast aside whatever you know takes your attention away from the present task. Do so in intervals of time, so it is easy for you to stay focused. For instance, put away your phone for an hour.

Stop Multitasking

Instead of trying to handle it all at once, you should focus on a singular task. That way, your brain works more efficiently, and you actually save time.

Practice Mindfulness

If you have trouble staying in the present, you should take some time of the day to be mindful or meditate. It increases your focus.

Take Short breaks

Take frequent short breaks to allow your brain to rest and recover, otherwise, you will just exhaust it.

Organize your tasks

One of the most vital aspects of being a leader is being organized. Of course, there are so many tasks that demand your attention. Now, the crucial thing is to specify which tasks deserve your attention and which do not.

Organization would help you be more focused, and it would boost your productivity as well. Therefore, the first thing to do in the morning is to make a to-do list. That way, you can plan out your whole day, without having to reconsider adjusting timelines over and over.

One way to do that is by applying the principle of 4Ds

Do the tasks that are of utmost importance and can only be done by you. Attend to them first.

Delegate the tasks that are important but can be handled by someone else. Appoint those tasks to the people around you.

Delay the tasks that do not have specific or approaching deadlines. You can always revisit them later.

Delete the tasks that are not important, you may approach them some other day. This helps keep your list clean.

Use the 3Rs Principle

Reflect, remember, regroup, the three Rs that help any individual become more focused, leader or not.

Reflect. In the morning, take out some time to sort out your priorities. That way, you start off your day with purpose and defined goals.

Remember. It is easier to get lost in the activities of the day. Therefore, it is important to step away for a few moments. Take a breather. It also helps to use simple triggers for reminders such as inspirational quotes.

Regroup. Before moving on to the next task, you should take a little time out. Even if you just take it for 30 seconds; you focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths and remember what your goals are.

Plan a consistent sleep schedule

In the end, it all comes down to how much you have rested and how well you have rested. If you are not catching on enough sleep, trying other strategies would be futile.

Sleep is crucial for your brain to perform well. Therefore, you must adjust your sleep schedule. The key is to go to bed early and wake up early. Waking up early gives you enough time to get a head start for the day.

To sleep well, practice different strategies to help you clear your head. For instance, do not use technology an hour or two before going to bed. Perhaps, meditate for a few minutes. A clear head would ensure better sleep. Getting a good night sleep is good for your health.

To sum it all up, being a focused leader means being an organized, self-aware individual. Being focused starts from you, and it ends up in you as well. Once you become self-aware and take time out to think things through and breathe instead of being constantly in the state of stress, you will see yourself improving as a person and a leader.

You are only able to manage others if you can manage yourself.

Stay focused as a leader!

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Tina Persson, PhD, Career & Leadership Coach

Global ICF Coach | Coaching and training high-performing professionals to unlock and maximize their potential for guaranteed business success

You can contact me at tina@passag2pro.com

Book a strategic discovery call at https://tinyurl.com/4wjw792s

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