There is always a point in time in business where market forces create tension in the business. It may be the loss of a significant customer, a cyclical downturn, or maybe the introduction of a new competitor or product. The point is – you now have something putting pressure on your business demanding immediate attention. It is a reason to come together as a company and do something different. It is the case for change.

Making change happen is one of the toughest things you can do in business. People want a reason to do something different – a case for change or a burning platform. It is comfortable to do the same thing – call it routine or habit. And doing something different takes a lot of effort.

Have you had a crisis recently? A big one doesn’t come around every day. So leverage it while it is there. It can make the difference in your organization surviving.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been in a number of conversations where a person talked about how they couldn’t do something, or they see people behave toward them in a way that is in opposition to what they want. In each case, the person, when relaxed and in a positive frame of mind, did exactly what they said they couldn’t do. In focusing on what they didn’t want, they created a mindset that caused the exact results they said they didn’t want. A self-fulfilling prophecy. The miss is that if the focus was on the positive, so to would be the results.

This same approach happens in business. Whether a positive or a negative focus, the conditions are created to generate outcomes. They may be in opposition to the stated goals, because the focus is not put in the right place.  And amazingly, when the focus is on the positive with a can do attitude, the results follow. How do you ensure that you have the outcomes you want in your business and the self-fulfilling prophecy is the one you want?

There is a pretty typical pattern. People come to Zumba for the first time, find a spot in the back and try to figure out what to do. They focus intently on the instructor, trying to match the movements while those around them move with ease as they have done it many times before. A point typically comes when the group is moving to the left and the person is a few steps behind and moves to the right, creating a near collision. People who go to the class regularly know who is new and to watch out for them. The person who is new to class has no idea they have nearly caused a collision. They are focused so intently on figuring out what to do, they have lost track of their surroundings.

This can happen in business too. Whether it is a new industry, a new person in a new position, a new product launch, etc. Making sure mechanisms are in place to keep focus on the broader business while a new element is introduced is critical to the long-term success of the business. How are you making sure you don’t lose sight of the broader perspective by focusing too much?

You’ve probably seen this one before. Someone has a great idea. They are really excited about it and think it can have a big impact. They bring the idea forward and the response is: “That sounds like a great idea. Let’s get a committee together (or send it to a specific committee) to see if it is viable.” And then the sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach hits. The death of an idea. The committee.

Don’t get me wrong, committees can be a great thing if done right. They can bring together a bunch of different perspectives to round out ideas and figure out how to make ideas work – if that is the focus. Many times though, committees can get bogged down with no real charter to make progress. As a result, ideas die and people become dis-incentivized. How do you make sure you aren’t killing good ideas in your business through creating structures that aren’t designed to facilitate progress?