The Second Underlying Thread: Balance

I said that in this blog I’d pass on fun finds, daily observations, effective examples of business strategy, and the like---and I will. But first I need to share the second of my two essential tools for business and my personal passions.

In Wednesday’s post I explained the name for this blog and talked about focus. Where we put our daily focus is the leading factor in determining the outcomes our projects and the destinies of our businesses, our professions, and our lives. But focus alone will not do the job to take us where we want to go. Our focus needs to be constantly checked, tempered, and adjusted; in other words, focus needs balance.

Sounds obvious—and yet so often in business I find this is overlooked. How many of us have witnessed umpteen meetings or important decisions swayed by the loudest or most charismatic, verbally-gifted or most dominant personality in the room? Swayed not because that person’s stance was the proper one, but because the person actively or passive-aggressively advocated for their point-of-view while others did not or were unable, and the key decision maker(s) did not do their job of balancing the perspective. For our decisions and our resulting focus to be balanced, issues need to be considered from many angles, significant factors need to be named and brought to the table, and that which is most flashy, sexy, loud, exciting---that which so easily draws our attention---needs to be tempered so other more passive but equally potent factors can come into play.

Balance is also crucial because over-focusing is as dangerous as under-focusing. It’s like when we build a fire: we can’t ignore it but if pile too many logs on in our desire to make it grow, it will smolder and die. Or when we’re playing gardener and, say, tending a tree: it needs to be watered, mulched, pruned, fertilized---but we can’t make it grow faster by obessessing over it, overworking, or manpuliating it. This is why we say we tend a fire or a tree. The word implies a balanced approach. And the same principals hold in business.

So what is balance, how to balance our focus properly regarding particular isses, and how other companies or people are doing this poorly or well---all this will be fodder for this blog. So if you have any good stories about balance, send them my way.