TAKING THE LEAD
Finish the Race
A
Scott Humphrey CEO, WFCA
A great way to determine where your focus lies is to listen to your words. If you talk primarily about the past, you are focused back there. Instead, use the lessons of your past to set a firm foundation for your current position and as a springboard for your future.
s we move out of the past two years of uncertainty and begin to embrace the new norm post COVID, many are asking what is next — while still looking back over their shoulder? It resembles our natural tendency when we drive by an accident on the highway. We crane our necks backward to see the damage that was done and assure ourselves that everyone is okay. Oftentimes this backward glance is all it takes to create another fender bender. It is not unlike what happens to our businesses if we continue to look back at what was. It is impossible to chart a clear path forward if you are constantly looking back over your shoulder. But how does one fight the natural tendency to look back? In reality, it is quite simple. Focus on finishing! Your focus lies in the past, on your current situation, or forward as you seek to finish the race. If you are looking back, you are likely haunted by past failures or the pressure of past success. Past failures tend to refine us and remold us as we battle through. But that does not mean we have to let them define us. They may shape you, but you have the ability to determine how that experience will define the person you will become. And lest you think we are constantly looking back out of fear or the haunting of failure, even successes can draw you back and lock you into your past if you let them. We have all met the high school athlete that constantly recounts his or her past accomplishments. They live back there. They are so locked into the life they lived and the successes they have had that they can’t clearly focus in on where they are or the person they could become. This is true of people and companies. A great year, like the one most had during and coming out of COVID, can seem impossible to replicate — so you keep looking back to see how that success was possible. Remember: “What got you there won’t keep you there.” A great way to determine where your focus lies is to listen to your words. If you talk primarily about the past, you are focused back there. Instead, use the lessons of your past to set a firm foundation for your current position and as a springboard for your future. You likely understand why looking back does not allow you a clear path forward but may be asking, “what is wrong with focusing on your current situation? Don’t we want to be in the present?” Of course, we do — unless you are stuck there. Imagine someone looking down and focusing on every step. It is unlikely they would trip because they are focused on their present situation. But what about the roadblocks, the walls, the obstacles that life throws your way. You can’t anticipate and be prepared for what lies ahead if you are simply locked in on where you are. People who are frozen in the present often suffer from analysis paralysis. They overanalyze every decision for fear of making a mistake. They don’t allow themselves the luxury of taking a calculated risk to expand their horizons and increase their self-confidence.
2 Premier Flooring Retailer | D2 | 2022
