Focus Is Critical to Success but Often Difficult to Achieve

By: Susan Boydell | sboydell@barlowmccarthy.com

One of the best practices in physician relations is focus. Focus on priority growth areas. Focus in the field. Focus on the right target physicians. It makes sense, right? But, I bet if most of us did a quick self-assessment, we would find that’s not where we spend most of our time. Let’s be honest; there are a lot of things to focus on. There is no shortage of things to do! You know what I’m about to say… we need to focus our efforts on those things key to our success.

When it comes to focus, here’s an exercise you can try to test your ability to stay focused:

1. Set clear goals and expectations. It sounds basic, but if you can’t articulate precisely what is expected of you or how success will be measured, your focus will always be blurry. There are two ways to look at this. The first is from a program perspective, which is what we talked about related to priority growth areas, physician targets, etc. The second is creating your focus “activity” plan for each week, each day, and with each target. This is where we often get distracted. So, let’s focus on this one.
2. Create “your” plan. Many of us let our calendars drive our plans for the week. I want you to take control of your week. Create your pre-call plan to include not only what you plan to do in the field but all other internal meetings or activities you have scheduled for the week.
3. Focus “your plan. Take your plan and put a “1” next to those activities you consider vital to achieving success, a “2” next to those less important, and a “3” next to those that have little to no correlation to success. If there is something you need to cycle off your to-do list, start with your #3s.
4. Measure your focus. At the end of the week see how many 1s you completed, how many 2s and how many 3s. Was your week focused on the right things? But don’t stop there. Ideally, I would love you to do this for 90 days to measure how well you achieved your goals.  There is a lot you can learn over time. Did you select the right 1s? What’s your most significant distraction? Is there a focus area that is a challenge for you?

Focus is a discipline. It is a learned skill that takes practice and, most of all, self-awareness. Try the exercise. It will give you insight into where you focus your time and energy.  It will also give you a hint at what you will be successful at achieving.  It should align with what your organization needs from you.