Importance of Focus for Career Advancement

1+1+1 = 1. FOCUS AND SYNERGY AS FORCE MULTIPLIERS FOR YOUR CAREER. Focus and synergy are common prescriptions for companies. Strategy experts advise companies to focus on their core competencies, and to exploit synergy across their products and business units. In my experience, these ideas are equally applicable to your professional life. I have used a simple yet effective formula in my career. I call it “1+1+1=1”. The insight is simple. Harness the power of focus and synergy to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of your professional work. Focus is about maintaining consistency in your core expertise over time, which increases the depth of your expertise and your effectiveness in your job. In my career, I have focused on one and only one industry – technology. By focusing on a narrow domain, I have been able to develop deep industry expertise, honed over thirty-five years. I have also gotten to know a large number of people in the technology industry. People tend to move across companies within the industry, which augments the breadth and depth of my network. In one case, a senior technology marketing executive has called on me to advise five companies over fifteen years as she has moved from tech company to tech company. Focus has also allowed me to build a reputation for expertise in the tech industry. Synergy, on the other hand, is about the connectedness of your professional activities at any given time. Synergy promotes efficiency in your job, as you can get more bang for the buck from your time. In my professional work, I have three domains of activities - Research/Writing (Knowledge Creation), Teaching/Speaking (Knowledge Dissemination), and Consulting/Advising (Knowledge Application). By making sure that I write about what I teach, and I teach what I consult about, I can benefit from "intellectual arbitrage". For example, I built the DigiStrat simulation game using industry knowledge I gained on the telecom business based on serving on the Board of Directors at Reliance Jio. I use this simulation in teaching and in consulting for other companies. This is what I call "Triple Dipping.” This triple dipping is the explanation for the formula “1+1+1=1” = three units of output resulting from only one unit of input. What can you learn from my experience? Focus on a domain where you aim to achieve recognition and depth. This laser-like focus allows you to build significant expertise and brand equity. Ask yourself – “what do I want to be famous for?” Next, define your "cumulative story" to ensure your efforts are more than their individual parts. Whether transitioning to a new role or broadening your expertise, align all related activities—courses, projects, consulting—towards a unified goal, maximizing the impact of your efforts through double or triple dipping. By using focus and synergy as “force multipliers,” you can become more efficient and more effective in your professional life. #careeradvice #lifelessons #strategy #focus

Sixteen years later, I still remember the networking conversation with one of my business school’s alumni, even if I can’t remember who the conversation was with. Alumnus: “So what do you want to do?” Me: “I’m a generalist. I like a lot of industries and functions. I just want to work for a good company.” Alumnus: “Then I can’t help you. That’s too broad. Almost any job could fit those criteria.” At the time, I didn’t see the problem. I was a generalist and I would take literally any job. (Did I mention my wife was pregnant with our first child?) I was frustrated with this alumnus and his unwillingness to help. It wasn’t until I began coaching others that I saw the error in my ways. I thought I was helping my job search by being broad in my interests. Instead, I was undermining myself. Focus, not breadth, is the friend of the jobseeker. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s really quite simple when you remember that the most effective job searches rely on referrals. And people can’t help you when you want to do literally anything. You’re better served taking a stand and clearly articulating your interests in a way that someone can easily scan their mental Rolodex for potential referrals or companies for you to talk to: “My preference is a business development role in early stage climate tech startups.” Beyond making it easier for others to help you, your focus also helps you help yourself. Your focus indicates a depth of conviction in an area. It allows you to concentrate your research, making you more efficient because you’re not context switching. But perhaps most importantly, your focus allows you to change the whole dynamic of networking. Focus allows you to take bits and pieces you’ve learned from one conversation and share it with others. Perhaps you learn about an interesting article in one conversation and share it with someone else in the next one. Or perhaps you can introduce one contact to another, broadening their collective networks and earning yourself kudos for being the connector. This approach is a subtle shift from being a “taker” in networking, depending on someone’s niceness to chat with you, to being a “giver” who’s delivering value. This creation of value differentiates you and helps prospective hirers reduce risk, both important characteristics in a job search. Last week, in a session for the NSA Carolinas Speakers Academy I’m participating in, one of the participants shared how important it was to have a clear focus in your professional speaking. You can’t talk about technology proliferation on one day to sales executives and career guidance on another to your child’s school. The lack of focus muddies the water and makes it hard t for others to refer you business. She quoted an old saying, “Chase two rabbits, catch none.” The same principle is true in your job search. While it feels safer to chase many industries in your job search, your lack of focus may just leave you hungry. Photo by Jenine Abbassi on Unsplash

🚀 Career Acceleration Insights By age 35, I had climbed the corporate ladder and doubled my salary in less than 5 years. The journey was filled with invaluable lessons, but there's one piece of advice that outshines the rest, crucial for anyone looking to advance their career, especially in the dynamic field of technology and marketing. ✅ Here's the golden nugget of advice: Identify and Focus on Key Business Metrics: The secret lies in pinpointing the metric that is most valuable to the business. Once identified, channel your efforts to move this metric significantly. This approach transcends beyond mere numbers; it's about aligning your contributions with the company's core objectives. ✅ What to Avoid: - Don't let workplace politics distract you. - The size of your team or the scope of your responsibilities should not be your primary concern. - Steer clear from getting entangled in unnecessary workplace drama. ✅ What to Embrace: Be relentless in your focus on the crucial business metric, whether it's related to revenue, growth, or any other key area. 💡Demonstrate how your work directly contributes to moving this metric forward. Make it the centerpiece of your discussions and reports. This strategy is particularly potent for those early in their careers or operating within growth-oriented roles. It's not just about working hard but working smart—targeting your efforts where they'll make the most tangible impact. Leverage this approach, and watch as doors open and opportunities unfold in ways you might never have imagined. #CareerAdvice #BusinessGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #TechIndustry #thejessemercado