Focus on staying focused

Apr 15 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

IN OUR ongoing series highlighting the “top traits of successful exporters” - vision, commitment, focus, research, planning, training, relationship building, quality, adaptation and energy - the next trait we come to is focus.

According to the dictionary, focus means: “to concentrate attention or effort”. Straightforward you may think, but it’s not that easy to do. Remember the saying: “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s difficult to remember that you originally came to drain the swamp?” Our experience with swamps and alligators may be limited, but when you’re up to your neck in difficult customers and hard-hearted creditors, it’s difficult to focus on why you started the business in the first place.

Turned on its head, focus could be described as “not being distracted by irrelevance”. Not that customers or creditors are irrelevant, but the focus of your business is existence - long term, not just today. You need to focus today on what will avoid the same distractions tomorrow.

For some, the best way to focus on something is to measure it. Measuring “focuses” behaviour toward an outcome: if your measure of success is profit, your behaviour will change toward achieving that goal.

But while some prefer the “carrot” others favour the stick. Senator Patrick Leahy, during the Enron investigation, said: “I found that the best way to focus somebody’s interest is to have them know if they do wrong, they’re going to jail.” That may work for some people, but our jails are still full.

Some say the best way to focus is to take a break and return to the task with a fresh outlook. Just walk away for a while. Easier said that done: most of us feel indispensable.

And yet, none of us really is indispensable, and if distractions are the problem, removing yourself from them for a while might work as well as removing the distractions.

That’s particularly important with the myriad “distractions” of international trade. Logistics, payment, culture, language and distance - all those factors that differentiate overseas markets from our own are potential “distractions” from what you want your customers to feel.

Focusing isn’t something we do naturally and there are 200 countries in the world - you can’t serve all of them at once. You need to focus first on what you want your business to be. Focus then on what you need to do to achieve that.

UK Trade & Investment can offer advice and support to companies involved in international trade. An international trade adviser will be assigned to work closely with the company, carry out a diagnostic and help develop an export plan that help focus on key markets.

To find out more call the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or email: enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk