Focus: The Act of Saying No To A Good Idea

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Good ideas are hard to come by, so why would anybody want to say no to a good idea? This may seem counterintuitive, but keep reading, and I may convince you otherwise. You see, ideas are only worthwhile when executed. Otherwise, it’s just another random thought. A well executed idea can positively transform your business. Also, a poorly executed idea can be worse than a missed opportunity. You also lose your winning edge to the competition who may take your idea and execute it better.

Entrepreneurs juggle multiple activities all at once. With each new project or idea you take on, you will be stretching yourself thin and paying less and less attention to most other projects. Although it may seem like you are achieving a lot, (since most people judge productivity on how many tasks get done), the result will tell a different story. In summary, it is not how many good ideas you have but how well you execute them.

This is why it is sometimes expedient to say NO to some good ideas….in other to focus on what you already have going on. The key here is focus.

Focused People Say No To Good Ideas

Successful entrepreneurs like Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs have all cited focus as a primary tool in their arsenal. Apple’s Former Chief Design Officer, Jony Ive, once talked about Job’s obsession with Focus. Steve Jobs had a way of poking his employees to find out how focused they were by asking a simple question, “How many things have you said no to? Depending on the response, Jobs could decipher how productive his employees were, based on their NOs. Focus to Steve Jobs was an act of sacrifice. It was about sacrificing good ideas to focus on better ideas.

Focus keeps you grounded, honed in on a single goal until that goal is achieved. Entrepreneurs who have achieved outstanding results have mastered the art of focusing on a single idea until it materializes. This often comes at a great cost and personal sacrifices. By learning to focus, you can;

• Filter your ideas leaving only the most important ones

• Conserve energy to be used for what really matters

• Position yourself for better ideas in the future

The alternative is saying Yes to every idea that comes your way. This may be because you feel pressured (by your peers or the competition) to execute the idea. Or, you buy the idea that looking busy is being productive. Either way, you are expending energy for all the wrong reasons. Even worse is the fact that by taking on so many ideas, you take longer to complete each one. And as Jeff Bezos said, sometimes, speed is better than perfection. When you say NO to some good ideas, you can execute the ideas you say YES to, faster and better.

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Until next time, Best Regards.

Alex