{"id":9402,"date":"2017-04-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=9402"},"modified":"2024-05-09T17:03:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T17:03:55","slug":"nonprofit-management-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/nonprofit-management-focus\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus – The One Thing That Will Ensure You Raise More This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nonprofit leadership often means taking on the world, including attempting to solve every tiny problem along the way. While it may seem like each solution is a step toward reaching your organization\u2019s ultimate mission, this do-it-all approach may actually be hurting your nonprofit.<\/p>\n

In our world of nonstop communication, where streams of information are coming at you from all directions, it\u2019s hard not to multitask. But the reality is, multitasking often results in mediocrity.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s hard not to multitask. But the reality is, multitasking often results in mediocrity…”<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

The Importance Of Focus<\/h2>\n

Research shows that our short term memory can only handle five to nine different things<\/a> at any given time. And those are small things. When attempting to accomplish two tasks that both require the same level of engagement, your mind can\u2019t fully process information from either task.<\/p>\n

So, if multitasking doesn\u2019t work, then what does? Brian Balfour, CEO of Reforge and former vice president of growth at Hubspot, says his success as a business leader lies in the power of focus<\/a>. The word focus is often tossed around leadership circles, but the question many leaders ask is, \u201chow can focusing on one task really benefit my organization?\u201d
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To understand the importance of focus, Balfour suggests first understanding what focus means to organizational leaders.<\/p>\n

In this case, focus means identifying one long-term goal that is meaningful to your nonprofit, narrowing down your tasks to focus on the most important thing you should be doing right now to achieve that goal, doing that task for long enough to gather credible data, and adjusting your long-term goal based on the data you collect.<\/p>\n

“Focus means identifying one long-term goal that is meaningful to your nonprofit…”<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>tweet this<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

The ONE Question<\/h2>\n

To determine your long-term goal, start with your organization\u2019s mission. But when attempting to set an actionable goal, you can\u2019t just plug in your mission statement verbatim. Instead, think SMART <\/a>— your goal should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.<\/p>\n

Even with those guidelines in place, it may be difficult to narrow your focus to a single long-term goal for your organization. To assist in finding your focus, author Gary Keller (The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results<\/a>) suggests asking yourself this question: \u201cWhat\u2019s the one thing you can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?\u201d<\/p>\n

The next step is outlining the tasks you, as a leader, and your organization as a whole needs to embark upon to achieve your SMART goal<\/a> using what Keller calls \u201cthe domino effect.\u201d Once you figure out the one long-range goal, you must then identify the number of dominoes you need to line up in order to make that goal happen.
\n\"\"To narrow your row of dominos further, apply the 80\/20 principle (Pareto Principle)<\/a> — the minority of your effort goes toward the majority of your results (ex: 80 percent of your nonprofit\u2019s donations<\/a> typically come from 20 percent of your donor base).<\/p>\n

Applying this principle to focus means taking a look at your to-do list and pulling out the tasks that have the biggest impact on your ultimate success. Focusing on these key activities will help you achieve greater results by focusing your attention only on activities that progress you toward your ultimate goal.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t stop at 80\/20! To achieve ultimate focus, Keller recommends taking this idea even further and whittling down your list by 20 percent (and then 20 percent again) until only a vital few tasks remain. This allows you to narrow your focus and place your undivided attention on the task at hand.<\/p>\n

The Benefits Of Focus<\/h2>\n

This sort of focus takes a great deal of discipline, but those who have accomplished it say the results are worth the effort. Based on research<\/a>, it takes about 66 days to turn a disciplined act into a habit. Balfour noticed five key advantages of the discipline of focus:
\n\"\"First of all, you move faster, which means less energy and time is put into the act of deciding and more of your attention can be placed into putting your decision into action. Balfour says, \u201cWith focus, the decision between multiple options comes down to one simple question. Which one contributes to our focus the most?\u201d<\/p>\n

Secondly, you learn more. When focusing on one task at a time, you dig deeper into the subject matter and gain a better grasp on the focus subject. Additionally, your mind is able to retain the information you gather, which you can use at a later time.<\/p>\n

Making quick decisions and retaining the information you learn from those decisions helps you make more progress toward your ultimate goal. \u201cIt seems the best way to get nothing done is to try and get everything done at once,\u201d Balfour notes.<\/p>\n

And this quick progression helps you build confidence, which also makes you a more valuable asset to your organization.<\/p>\n

While Balfour points out the personal growth you could experience by learning to focus, Keller sees how your organization as a whole can benefit from a focused leader. The author uses a framework called \u201ciceberging\u201d to demonstrate how purpose (or focus) affects an organization\u2019s priorities, productivity and profit.<\/p>\n

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In Keller\u2019s diagram, there are four parts to an iceberg: purpose, priority, productivity and profit. Purpose (or mission in the case of a nonprofit) forms the basis of the iceberg, as well as the foundation on which your organization is built.<\/p>\n

On top of purpose is priority. Here is where focus begins to come into play. In this stage, you must focus on one priority at a time. To determine where your priority should lay, ask yourself the ONE question and continue from there.<\/p>\n

The layers above the water (productivity and profit) are the parts most businesses focus on, but they\u2019re much less important than the foundation on which they are built. Productivity is the result of a clear purpose and a solid priority — and higher productivity ultimately leads to higher profit (or more donations!).<\/p>\n

The Difficulties of Focus<\/h2>\n

Now we can see why focus is such an important leadership characteristic. So why don\u2019t most executives focus?<\/p>\n

Balfour suggests many leaders struggle with choosing a focus, sticking to one focus once their priority is set, and even knowing when to abandon a focus when it\u2019s clearly not working out.<\/p>\n

Keller, on the other hand, notes that many leaders fall prey to the \u201cfour thieves of productivity<\/a>:\u201d<\/p>\n