Single Minded Sense of Purpose

By Jeff Taylor 

 

Last May, I had the honor of attending my father-in-law’s 60^th class reunion at the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Nestled along the Hudson, the campus was beautiful with its stunning stone buildings and views of the river.  Both my boys love athletics and were amazed by the sports facilities.  From the number of baseball fields, track facilities to the indoor football field it was apparent that for athletes this place was a training heaven.  However, what impressed me most was the single minded sense of purpose with which they tackled goals.

The most obvious example of this single minded sense of purpose is their goal to beat the Navy in the annual Army vs. Navy football game.  As you enter the base you pass one of the outdoor football fields, on the roof (in letters large enough to see from the air) is written “Beat Navy.”  As we visited varied buildings, I noticed “Beat Navy” signs everywhere.   I heard a number of speeches and attended a few business meetings – every one of these events ended with “Go Army, Beat Navy.”

For an Army cadet, this intensified focus teaches how to zero in on a goal and simply do everything possible to accomplish it.  While on the long car ride back to Iowa, this got me thinking about the power of this approach from a business perspective.

As you look at your business, have you identified what you want to be known for and made it a mission to make sure that this goal is constantly reinforced with your employees and customers?  Do you have this goal posted in your store or office?  On your website, do you explain what you want to be known for, how this makes you unique and what this means to your customer?  Once you believe you have achieved your goal, talk with your team regularly about how you can do it better.  Make the mission apparent in every aspect of your culture and marketing and you will be surprised at the results.

From a personal prospective, think about your goal for the business this year.  Do you have a clearly defined goal?  What do you do to keep this goal in front of you every day?  Do you measure all your activities against how this will help achieve the goal? Have you given yourself the tools to achieve the goal and more importantly have you mentally committed to doing whatever it takes to over achieve?