The Focus Trap

If you run a company, Certified EOS Implementer® Rodney Mueller recently shared a story with me you might resonate with: It was the first real workday after the holidays. He was in the office early thinking about the year and everything that needed to happen in Q1. A few hours later, the day was already messy. His sales leader called in sick, a client delayed a deal because budgets shifted, and his weekly ops meeting started late because someone couldn’t get their video working.

None of this is unusual. It’s just what running a business often looks like on a random Tuesday.

When you’re the one responsible for the results, you know just how much chaos a morning like that can cause. You immediately start thinking about how to get everyone moving faster so the quarter doesn’t fall behind before it even really starts.

That tension raises a bigger leadership question: How do you turn your own urgency into focus for the whole organization instead of just more motion?

Focus Points
"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say no to other things."
— Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The Focus Traps Slowing Your Team Down and How to Get Back On Track

That pressure Rodney describes at the start of a new quarter is familiar to a lot of founders. You’re locked in on what the quarter requires, but getting the rest of the organization aligned around those same priorities is harder than it sounds.

The problem is recognizing where your effort gets directed. In this blog, Rodney breaks down three focus traps he sees with leadership teams:

• Activity that feels productive but doesn’t move the quarter’s outcomes
• Too many priorities competing for attention across the organization
• Tough conversations leaders know they should have but keep postponing

He also shares the practical ways EOS® leaders reset focus using tools like Rocks and the Scorecard so the team stays aligned on what actually matters.

Impact Moments
Ownership Changes Execution

In case you missed it, Christine and I sat down with Ninety’s founder and CEO Mark Abbott for a very honest conversation about leadership during one of the hardest years in the company’s history.

After a period of rapid growth, Mark realized the culture inside Ninety had hit a rough patch. In this episode of Impact Moments, he reflects on the decisions that led there, what he would do differently, and why “succeed or escalate” became a leadership principle throughout the company.

It’s a candid look at what leadership responsibility really means when things feel off.

Be sure to subscribe on YouTube, or follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Calendar
Meet us at the EOS Conference

Heading to the EOS Conference in Kansas City next month?

Join us at the Welcome Reception hosted by Ninety on April 22 from 5–6 p.m., visit our booth, and catch multiple sessions from our team:

Apr 22 | 1:00 p.m.
The Five Stages Every EOS^® Company Grows Through — and The Value Gap
Mark Abbott, Founder & CEO, Ninety
Kris Snyder, Chief Advocate, Ninety

Apr 22 | 3:30 p.m.
Right Person, Right Seat: Now Visible in Real Time
Dr. Audra Stanton, Head of Product, Ninety
See It. Issue It. Solve It: Using AI to Keep EOS® Working as the Business Grows
Thomas “TJ” Kneale, Head of Data & AI Products, Ninety

Apr 23 | 9:30 a.m.
See It. Issue It. Solve It: Using AI to Keep EOS® Working as the Business Grows
Thomas “TJ” Kneale, Head of Data & AI Products, Ninety
Right Person, Right Seat: Now Visible in Real Time
Dr. Audra Stanton, Head of Product, Ninety

Client Testimonial

Adam Tubbs

CEO of FIT Technologies on how Ninety helps his team align around vision, goals, and execution.