BADD“WE NEED FOCUS!” This was the lightening-fast and emphatic answer to a question that I had just posed. It came from the leaders of global marketing for a successful software firm with roughly $155 million in sales. The answer would surprise many because this company started during the heady days of the Internet boom and survived when the bubble burst. This is quite an achievement. We all know the tragic stories of the companies who didn’t survive. Yet for all the success this company had achieved, they recognized that something was needed if they wanted to continue to grow.

It turns out that they were suffering from BADD—Business Attention Deficit Disorder.

First, let me emphasize that I am not trivializing people who suffer from the very real Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). At the same time, what I’m calling BADD is a very real problem faced by businesses of every size. In today’s world we’re bombarded with information like “a fire hose aimed at a teacup.” The information cycle is 24/7/365. It’s a wonder people or businesses get anything done.

Let’s just take the world of advertising and marketing for example. Where do you spend your advertising dollars today? Radio? Television? Direct Mail? Billboards? Newspapers? Magazines? Many are saying these forms of traditional media are dead. Are they?

Then there are Internet ads and PPC to consider, plus all the buzz over social media. Do you need to be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, FriendFeed?

Ironically, the things that have been invented to enhance our lives have really made it much more complicated. So what are we to do? I think it’s time for us to consider….

The Best Business Advice I Ever Received

The night before I started my first store management position. A seasoned regional vice president with a national corporation was giving me counsel on the responsibility I was taking on. He said, “David, remember this: whatever’s important, that’s what you’ve got to stay focused on.”

Very simple advice isn’t it? Almost too simple. So simple in fact, I’m not sure how I remembered it. However, it’s the most difficult piece of advice I’ve ever tried to follow. Why? Because life gets in the way.

You may have heard it said “the tyranny of the urgent” crowds out the important. It’s true. Stop and think about how your day or week has been going. How easy has it been to stay focused on the important? Many of the problems we face in the current economy come from people (and companies) loosing sight of what is important. The software company I mentioned in the beginning was dealing with this very real obstacle to their growth potential.

Ever  heard the old adage that “consultants just tell you what you already know?” Why is that often the case? Because it’s easy to get distracted from what’s important. A good consultant doesn’t have to be smarter than a client. It’s just that the consultant doesn’t have the emotional investment in the business and can be more objective.

Take A Step Towards Overcoming BADD

While I brought up business in this blog post, this advice also works in our personal life. What is it that you find important in your business and personal life? Take a moment now to consider the answers to that question. Write them down. Keep those answers in front of you. Enlist a friend or colleague to help hold you accountable. Form an accountability team. You’ll get more out of your business and life when you decided to stay focused on the important.

We’ll discuss more about how to filter the buzz and take sound steps to help your business in upcoming posts on this blog. Recognizing your priorities is an important first step towards overcoming BADD.