Leaders Must Set a Great Example of Focus During Times of Unpredictability

Episode 133: Unlock the secrets to maintaining razor-sharp focus as a leader, especially when chaos reigns. Discover the transformative power of strong habits and routines to keep distractions at bay and propel your team toward success. By crafting a vision board and setting SMART goals, you'll learn to structure your ambitions with precision, ensuring both personal and team growth. As leaders, our deliberate use of time and energy is crucial to fostering a productive environment that aligns with our aspirations.

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Transcript

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Staying Focused for Success

Stephen McLain 0:00

Hi , this is Stephen McLain of the Finance Leader Podcast . This is episode number 133 . I hope you are having a great week and accomplishing much . I believe that in the midst of chaos and in confusing times , leaders need to step up even more . We need to establish a clear path when everything around is unknown and unpredictable . Leaders need to be laser focused on the goal so they can continuously lead their teams through any crisis or anything that is unknown . This is such an important topic that I decided to share a replay of episode number 116, .

Stephen McLain 0:38

Stay focused and avoid the usual distractions to achieve success . What we let distract us will own our energy and our time . Our habits and routines must be strong to overcome any distraction that can lure us away from accomplishment and top results . Stay focused on your goals . Ensure you are scheduling and keeping your weekly team meeting and the one-on-one sessions with each team member . Let your team talk over what may be stopping them from accomplishing their goals . Help your team get focused . Help them with better habits and coach them to success . As the leader , you must be the constant , steady variable . When things are changing all around , they need to look to you , so you must be rock steady in your attitude , your demeanor and in the execution of your daily duties . They will follow you . So this is why you need to set a strong , steady , focused example . So please enjoy this encore . Replay of episode number 116 . Stay focused and avoid the usual distractions to achieve success . I'll be back next week with a new episode . You can find more resources at financeleaderacademycom . Please enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for listening to the Finance Leader Podcast . Enjoy this week . I'm talking about staying focused so we accomplish our goals , we complete our tasks with excellence and we lead our teams with purpose . What we let distract us will own our energy and our time . Our habits and routines must be strong to overcome any distraction that can lure us away from accomplishment and top results any distraction that can lure us away from accomplishment and top results . I want you to create a vision of success for yourself , to stay focused on what you want to achieve . We will overcome any distraction and obstacle that gets in our way . That will be our pledge to ourselves . Please enjoy the episode .

Stephen McLain 2:41

Welcome to the Finance Leader Podcast , where leadership is bigger than the numbers . I am your host , Stephen McLain . This is the podcast for developing leaders in finance and accounting . Please consider following me on Twitter , facebook , instagram and LinkedIn . My usernames and the links are in this episode's show notes . Thank you .

Stephen McLain 3:01

This is episode number 116 , and I'll be talking about staying focused so you stay on track with your goals , and I will highlight the following topics . Number one change your habits so you avoid the usual distractions . Number two create a vision board to help turn your dream into reality . And three schedule and document your goal achievement plan . Ll Cool J said it best stay focused , go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals .

Stephen McLain 3:33

How many of you feel the new year is moving along fast ? It always does . Life gets at us and time slips away . This is why it's so important to become focused , to become goal oriented and to decide to be deliberate with our time and our energy . Do you want to accomplish that big goal this year ? What is going to stop you ? What can you do to prepare yourself for goal accomplishment ? How can you guard your mindset for growth and development ? That is why we need to be deliberate about where we use our time and our energy .

Stephen McLain 4:10

Last week , in episode 115 , I talked about using a SMART goal planning and setting system to help us better dissect and put together a plan that makes sense for us . Smart stands for Specific , measurable , achievable , realistic and Time-bound . I encourage you to plan your goals using the SMART method and also to have a written plan that can be reviewed and updated . On Finance Leader Academy , you can download the free goal-setting workbook . And also , please sign up for our mid-year goal review challenge , which will begin in June . More information on that will be shared later .

Stephen McLain 4:49

Please listen to last week's episode if you missed it , or please listen again if you need to . I believe it will help you . We have big goals and I know we all want to accomplish all of them . Sometimes it's us that stops us and we need to review everything we do so we set ourselves up for long-term success , and it can be anything that tries to take our concentration away from us . What we let distract us will own our time and our energy . What often distracts you from working on a goal ? What distracts you from any type of self-improvement task ? When you get distracted , it takes you away from your goals and it takes you away from your dream . Now there are good distractions , like your child who needs some help with homework . That is a great distraction . So go do that activity because it matters much in the long-term plan of your life , but what I am referring to is going off to do some meaningless activity when you could be working on a goal like watching one more episode of that TV show instead of working on a class that can help you grow a skill or some other critical development piece . It comes down to which activity is more important to you . Keep your mind and your eyes on the bigger prize .

Stephen McLain 6:08

Now we need to address our habits . Do your habits support goal accomplishment ? Do your habits support a productive day ? We all need to develop better habits . If you want to begin with better habits , to set yourself up , begin with a more productive morning and evening routine . How you begin your day and how you end your day factors into our overall productivity not just goal accomplishment , but also your general approach to any work that you do . Are you getting enough rest , actually enough good rest ? Do you have a process that sets you up for restful sleep ? Are you drinking enough water and have a nutrition plan that supports you feeling energized ? Please consult your doctor or other certified professional to develop a plan that makes sense for you . We briefly talked about distractions and habits and having a written plan , but I also want to mention again , because it is so important , that having a supportive inner circle is a must .

Stephen McLain 7:13

The closest people in your life have a lot of influence over you , what you do and even how you think . Do the people who are closest to you also believe in personal growth and development ? Do they have a growth mindset , or are they huge distractions who take you away from goal accomplishment ? You have to assess and make a decision who you will allow to get close to you . Additionally , you must have a vision for yourself . Have you ever completed a vision board ? A vision board is a visual representation of what you want to accomplish and what is important to you . I don't think I've ever done one before . I have often used post-it notes to remind myself of what I am trying to get done . A post-it note on my monitor has been my way to remind me why I am showing up every day . I am really looking at vision boards right now . A lot of people have been talking about creating a vision board to capture in one place to give powerful visual reminders about me and my goals and my dreams . I am working on one .

Stephen McLain 8:19

Another important aspect of staying focused is documenting your success , which includes all updates as you complete your goals and any changes you have . This helps you to see what you have accomplished , what you are working on and where you still want to go . Our success often relies on our productivity , which is controlled by our distractions . You may have a new TV season you want to watch desperately , but you also know you need to dedicate some time to goal achievement . You can set online timers for 15 or 20 minute work sessions . Stick to those timers . Put down the phone , set the room mood to productivity , maybe with some music or total silence , set the right lighting and then work intensely for that set time . Document what you got done and review your progress . How do you set yourself up for success ? That is what today's discussion is all about . If your long-term goal is to be a CFO , then what key decisions about your life and career do you need to make ? What roles do you need to strive for like team manager and director ? What organizations or opportunities can help you along more than others , and what key skills and credentials do you need to develop and achieve ? These considerations should be included in your written individual development plan . Now let's talk about staying focused so you stay on track with your goals .

Stephen McLain 9:41

Number one change your habits so you avoid the usual distractions . Distractions can easily derail you from success . Again , what we let distract us will own our energy and our time . Our distractions did become our focus and the good distractions are okay . Will you allow this ? Is watching another TV show going to help you achieve your dreams ? Not at all . How do you want to prioritize your time and your energy ? Our goals are important . They often tie into our dreams . For me , my dream keeps me going and on track every single day . My daily hope lives in the fact that I know I'm striving to achieve my long-term dream . I live knowing that tomorrow will be better than today because I will do a little more work on my goals and strengthen my mindset . I know that improving our morning and evening routines can set us up for more and better productivity . How we arise in the morning and what we do at night to prepare will pay huge dividends . At night , do you prepare what you will wear the next day ? Do you put together all the things you will need , or do you run around in the morning in a frenzy ?

Stephen McLain 10:55

Number two create a vision board to help turn your dream into reality . How do you capture the vision you have for your life . Having a visual you can review can be powerful for setting your mindset right , for helping us getting even more intensely focused , for knowing and putting on paper or a screen what you want to do so you commit yourself to high accomplishment . I like the idea of putting together a visual representation of where you want to go . It serves as a reminder that tomorrow will be better than today , as long as we stay committed , growth-oriented and focused . By developing a long-term vision , it can help you see and feel where you want to go and what you want to do . A short-term vision board can also be very helpful . Maybe there are key decisions to be made or maybe you have entered a period of life that requires you to think only out a few months . Capture what you want to do to get past this time so you can see it and envision how you navigate the current situation .

Stephen McLain 12:02

Number three schedule and document your goal achievement plan . A written individual development plan becomes our gateway to goal accomplishment and to success . You are more likely to accomplish your goals if you write them down and by tracking your progress . I recommend that you schedule your goal tasks on your calendar , if you plan and own your calendar , you will also have a greater chance to succeed . Use production countdown timers . Adopt prioritizing your task list , learn to say no and learn to ask how really important something is against the big picture so you can prioritize . Update your progress regularly .

Stephen McLain 12:42

I love to mark off progress on my to-do list and my goal list . Don't a lot of us Personally own your progress by using the tools available ? When you complete one objective or one goal , you will get personal pride in your accomplishment and then you can complete more , which will give you momentum . After you build momentum , you can be unstoppable , and that's where I want you to be A strong mindset on the path to dream fulfillment . Use the momentum of checking items off as they are done to keep going strong all year .

Stephen McLain 13:19

As a quick summary , we have a greater chance of success if we change our habits . We have a physical representation of our vision vision and if we develop a written plan that tracks our goals and updates our progress . We must build successful habits and look to a future point where our big dream is fulfilled . This can help us continue to fight through the everyday craziness while we work on ourselves and work on our life and purpose-filled goals while we work on ourselves and work on our life and purpose-filled goals , I know this community can get a lot done because we deal with chaos and crisis from the moment we log on each day . Ensure you carve out time and energy for yourself and your dreams .

Stephen McLain 14:03

Now for action today . There are a few actions I recommend you get done today . The first item please do an honest review of your habits and what gets you distracted the most from accomplishing your goals . Make changes today . Second , start to develop a physical representation of your vision . It can be a sketch , a photo collage or write out a paragraph . I often use the post-it note reminder , but I am looking at doing something with images . This can be very powerful . And finally , ensure you have a written plan for your goals and update it regularly .

Stephen McLain 14:36

Today I talked about staying focused so you stay on track with your goals , and I highlighted the following points . Number one change your habits so you avoid the usual distractions . Number two create a vision board to help you turn your dreams into reality . And three , schedule and document your goal achievement plan . Actions relate to accomplishment , which then produces the results we are looking for . You can allow yourself to be distracted and then derailed by frivolous habits , or you can make a decision today to be more deliberate and smarter with your time , get intensely focused so you complete your goals and you will make progress in your career and in your life . You decide where you focus your effort , your time and your energy . You decide . That's often difficult for some people , but you get to make choices about what you worry about , what you invest your whole self into and what voices you let into your own bubble .

Don't Let Distractions Sway You from the Goal

Stephen McLain 15:35

Next episode , I will be sharing an interview I had with speaker and author Mark McMillian of McMillian Leadership Associates . I can't wait to share some amazing leadership tips from Mark . I hope you enjoyed the Finance Leader Podcast . I am focused on helping this community to become more confident finance leaders capable of transforming organizations . You can find this episode wherever you listen to podcasts . If this episode helped you today , please share with a colleague and leave a quick written review . Until next time . You can check out more resources at financeleaderacademycom and sign up for my weekly updates so you don't miss an episode of the podcast . And now go lead your team and I'll see you next time . Thank you .