How to help yourself or your team get better faster

How many times have you evaluated your team or yourself and recognized things have to get better?  Sometimes you get overwhelmed because you see so many areas that need improvement.  Here is how you can get radically better in the least amount of time?

Photo credit to Warm Sleepy

Focus on one thing.  

I know that feels elementary but doing something better will always be the precursor to bigger results.  Become laser focused on one thing until it can be repeated in the least amount of time.  Once you do that than you move on to another single thing to focus on.  You will be pleased with the results that will follow.

When I first began to lead I would want my team to be perfect at everything.  Unbeknownst to me I was some what of a cancer to the culture of our team.  Nothing was ever right because I wanted everyone to do everything right.  Have you ever tried to be perfect at everything?  It's exhausting!  In the effort to be perfect at everything you will burn out and so will your team.

As a kid I went to Oklahoma State's baseball camp.  They were a very successful baseball program at the time.  I can still remember the head coach saying, "Listen, practice makes perfect is a myth.  Reality tells us that practice makes present."  What a great leadership lesson!  If you want to be better at something in the present than you have to focus on it and work at it.  Help those around you focus on a single thing and they will have better results.

Have you ever improved by focusing on one thing?  Would you share with us how that helped you or your team get better?