Stay On Target
Many leaders have a hard time staying on target. They may start out strong with a clear goal, but soon they find themselves off track and lost in the weeds. This blog post is going to help you stay on target by providing some tips that will keep you focused and moving forward.
Daniel Boone explored the great wilderness of Tennessee and Kentucky. It was Boone who marked the Wilderness Road that brought settlers into the new land. He often wandered over vast areas of forest while living off the land and dodging arrows. Even though he navigated uncharted territory, he kept on his mission to become familiar with the land. Once, he was asked if he had ever been lost. He replied, “No.” He said that he had never been lost, but he did admit that he was “a mite confused once for about three or four days though!”
Leaders have to be the ones who stay on target even when things get shaky. They have to become the anchor in the storm for their team. When everyone else begins to panic and allow negative thinking to consume them, leaders have to be the ones to display genuine optimism. Gilbert Arland said, “When an archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull’ s-eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim – improve yourself.”
Leaders keep the team’s eyes on the objectives–not the obstacles. If leaders expect their followers to commit themselves to the vision, then those leaders must demonstrate their own high commitment to the vision. Leaders accomplish this through a focused personal dedication to stay on target and keep their eyes forward. A leader must keep aimed at the vision each and every day while displaying hope to those around them. Thomas J. Watson said, “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others, as what he does from day to day to lead himself.”
How often are you talking about the vision and mission of your organization? How often are you making the goals of your organization the central topic of conversation? Don’t get caught up in the weeds, but keep yourself and others moving forward to higher ground.
Here are a few tips to stay on target:
