The Power of Choosing One Thing (#283)
The Confident Leader
BOOST YOUR LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
A new goal can feel overwhelming at first. That’s partly how you know you’re onto something big.
A CEO shared with me, “Robin, we’ve got a big, audacious future goal, but we don’t know how to make it happen.”
That confession was the turning point.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”— Buckminster Fuller
This Week’s Edition
When leaders set ambitious, multi-year goals, the risk isn’t a lack of vision; it’s the potential lack of focus that can result.
Clarify Your Thinking
The CEO’s objective was clear: grow revenue by 35%, from $150MM to $200MM in three years.
The challenge was equally clear: organic growth alone wouldn’t take them there.
They had the courage to set a big goal, but at first it felt daunting. Too big. Too many variables. Too many unknowns. The temptation was to downgrade the vision to something more achievable.
I asked the leadership team:
What is the ONE thing that must be true at the end of year one for the rest of this plan to succeed?
Their answer surprised them.
It wasn’t sales volume.
It wasn’t market expansion.
It wasn’t cost reduction.
It was the completion of the stalled launch of a new business unit. A modern service built on the foundation of a 70-year-old legacy business.
Gallup research shows that leaders who maintain focus on a small number of clear priorities drive stronger execution and better performance across their teams. When leaders reduce competing initiatives and clarify what matters most, momentum and engagement increase.
True focus enables the growth every leadership team covets.
Old Thinking:
If the goal is big, we need to work on everything at once or we’ll fall behind.
New Thinking:
If the goal is big, focus matters more than speed. Momentum starts with One thing.ed to think differently. Clarity beats hustle—and focused intention beats intensity.
Thoughts Lead to Actions
Big goals often create anxiety because they invite comparison between where you are and where you want to be.
That gap can paralyze leaders or drive them into frantic activity.
Confident leadership narrows the gap by creating focus and generating early traction.
Focus and sequencing, mixed with wisdom and patience, can be the formula that delivers momentum.
Apply the “One Thing” principle to your leadership:
1. What is the One Thing you must accomplish this year to have the biggest impact on the business?
Don’t be surprised if it’s not the most obvious answer or the “sexiest” initiative.
2. Give It a Year, not a Quarter
Accomplishing big things takes time. Protect it from being crowded out by urgent distractions or the boredom you experience while executing the reps.
3. Measure Momentum, not Just Revenue
Early wins matter. Track progress indicators that show you are making headway.
4. Let Focus Create Confidence
Remind your team that they need to believe. Point to visible evidence. As momentum builds, confidence follows.
That’s what happened here.
By focusing on one thing in year one, the organization achieved early wins, rebuilt confidence, and created the runway for additional strategies to launch.
The three-year goal didn’t feel so intimidating anymore. That propelled them toward fulfilling their three-year vision. Congrats to them.
Kudos to you…you are next! Prepare for success.
Boost Your Performance
In this week’s video, I break down how leaders identify their true “One Thing,” why most teams choose the wrong one, and how focus builds momentum faster than urgency ever could.
What’s Your Opinion?
What’s the one thing your organization needs to accomplish this year?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share it with me at robin.pou@robinpou.com.
If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one. Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!
Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist
We live to make bad leadership extinct so forward this newsletter to others who strive to be confident leaders.
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What is “The Confident Leader”?
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.
