Customer Reviews

Focus Like a Laser Beam: 10 Ways to Do What Matters Most

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was expecting something different from this book - maybe something more along the Getting Things Done path than what this ended up being. It is definitely a short read - the highlights are outlined in the book description above.

I'd say this is definitely geared more towards management than worker bee's, but there are still a few things anyone can use. Number one being, just say "no" to meetings that don't provide any value. Other than that (which I already try to practice), I just didn't get much out of this book. I'm a little surprised by all of the glowing reviews I read here. Maybe I missed something.

Nine months ago I was hired to help turnaround a once successful business. From day one I realized that this was a company without focus. It's one thing to define a problem, another to find a solution. Haneberg's book was a shot in the arm. Just one concept -- "Stop Multitasking" -- would have been a major breakthrough for my team. And, personally, the idea of doing "One Great Thing" has completely revitalized my approach to a huge job. This book immediately rose to the rank of three or four "must read" titles in my business library. In the couple of months since I first read it (and I've re-read it a couple of times) our department has moved far away from the reactive mode that drove decisions -- we're nailing deadlines, we're closing more sales, we're thinking more strategically across the board. In a business and social environment that throws more at us day-by-day, hour-by-hour, this book is even more important than it would have been just a few years ago. We're all doing more with less -- and this is a book that has helped me see order amid the chaos of conflicting priorities. If it's true, as Woody Allen says, that 98% of success is showing up, then the other 2% is knowing how to keep your eye on the ball once you get there. This is the manual for getting your business -- and your life -- where you want it to be.

If you want goal-setting glitz and glamour, watch an infomercial. If you want a commonsense management refresher course that reorders your thoughts and shows you a step-by-step path leading to breakthrough successes, read, "Focus Like a Laser Beam."

This is one of those books that sneaks-up on you. You read a section, pause, nod knowingly, and keep reading. Then, throughout the following days and weeks the book's messages keep bubbling to the surface as your context and focus changes.

This book is all about establishing clear visions and focused actions that produce results. Of the book's "10 Ways to Do What Matters Most," my favorite is, "Stop Multitasking, Start Chunking." I always prided myself on my ability to multitask and keep dozens of projects moving at the same time.

After reflecting on this section of the book, I stopped and focused on each project. I realized I had created a great deal of commotion, with very little forward movement.

By carving out "chunks" of time to focus and respond to each project, I immediately experienced a series of small breakthrough accomplishments.

Sure, in hindsight it was commonsense, but without having read "Focus" and learning to dedicate chunks of time to important tasks, I would probably never finished this review.

There are, I believe, three basic categories of management/self-help books: those that rehash old ideas with a few new examples (the vast majority), those that produce entirely fresh and original thinking (sadly few), and those that save you time and effort by synthesizing the best of current ideas on a topic of interest.

This book falls firmly into the third category. Lisa Haneberg has done a great job of surveying a wide range of suggestions about how to improve results by better focus, then presenting the best of them in a lively, intelligent, and entertaining way. Some of the ideas are hers, some come from other people, but all are useful. And yes, there are some well-known ideas in amongst the fresher ones, as you would expect. This is a topic many people have pondered over the years.

I don't imagine the author thought of this book as either a work of academic argument or an entirely fresh viewpoint on a topic no one has considered before. If that's what you expect, you won't find it here. But what you will find is an extremely useful way to get the best available approaches to the topic in one place, with the author doing all the heavy lifting of sorting out the useful from the merely conventional.

If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-read, yet thorough survey of the current state of thought on how to make sure your effort is going into what matters most, this is the book for you. It's well written, well-presented, and the style is lively and engaging.

Recommended, especially for busy people who need to get to the heart of the matter quickly and without extraneous matter.

Lisa Haneberg's mantra in this book is that when managers do what matters most, rather than trying to do it all, they improve energy and engagement in workplaces. I couldn't agree more.

Haneberg offers ten techniques that enable managers to Focus Like A Laser Beam. The techniques are aimed at exciting and energizing their people, getting people talking about what truly matters, and letting go of activities that distract and divert energy. Practice any one of those ten techniques and you will become a better manager. Practice them all and you might become a great one.

I'll admit, there are some books I reread simply because I didn't get them the first time around. With "Focus...", I reread it because I wanted to internalize the great tips.

The book is peppered with Key Points in blockquote style, real world examples, worksheets and each chapter begins with a summary. This is an easy read, but also an important one.

If you're in project management or in charge of making your manufacturing line work lean, this book is a must for your library

The challenge in management literature is not necessarily to think of things that have never been thought of before. The challenge is to see the classic challenges afresh and to offer useful ideas for working managers to do something about those tough challenges! (To the former point about there being no new ideas under the sun, that darned Aristotle stole many of my best ideas!)

And so it is a delight to read Lisa Haneberg's "Focus Like a Laser Beam." Like a great hike on a well-marked trail, the quality of the experience is not whether anyone has been this way before, but whether you get what you need or want out of the experience.

There's a lot here to like. The writing is breezy, on-point, punctuated with examples, set-off with key points and loaded with actionable to-do's.

Furthermore, Focus Like a Laser Beam gives managers a chance to stretch beyond the stereotypical five-step advice that punctuates so many biz books. Lisa guides you into not so well worn places: encouraging intimacy with associates, having more fun at work again, relaxing as a work aid... And lots more in ten useful categories. Again, there's plenty of HOW accompanying the Should.

Is this a ground-breaker? No. And that's why I can't give it five-stars. But Focus Like a Laser Beam is a good read. It's a short, enjoyable, useful and stimulating little book -- perfect to toss into your briefcase for your next trip. (Even if that's vacation or holiday and you feel you *should* bring some business reading with you.)

Don Blohowiak
Lead Well® Institute

Some good practical advice in a number of chapters including "turn meetings into focus sessions" and "Do One Great Thing" and "Huddle." The book may underwhelm well versed students of management as most of the concepts have been widely written about...yet, that being said, it's one thing to know, and another to do - it's all in the execution. And if you can nail author's suggestions, you go a long way to succeeding as a leader and a manager.

One of the biggest challenges in B2B sales teams is overwhelm - you know, instead of the traditional idea of more month at the end of the money - many in selling have more tasks at the end of the day. Selling is a non-stop profession.

Lisa Haneberg's book hits on some key ideas which can, if put into place, immediately help individuals and a whole team be more productive. The chapter about the myths of muultitasking, the chapter about having fun (which ties into your personal mission and vision), and the idea of doing one great thing are reasons enough to invest in this book. I bring a copy to clients and encourage them to think about these topics.

If a sales leader can accomplish one great thing each day, they would be ahead of the pack. Individual salespeople need help and support to focus on what is important and revenue generating every day - not just sometimes. This is a book for every sales organization to have on hand.

Lisa does a remarkably creative job of helping us find this laser focus in her book. She presents some very unique things that we often don't think of when we talk about leadership. Items like:

* Huddling Up
* Don't Multi-Task
* Have fun
* Relax to Energize

Think about it. Doesn't "Connecting today's reality and tomorrow's goal with the straightest, most direct line of effort and resources" sound like a great definition of leadership? Don't these 4 things make it easier to connect the dots for managers and employees alike? I sure think so!

For me, the best part of Lisa's book was the stories she included in every chapter. Every chapter had a story that I was able to relate to in my job as a manager, and in my personal life as well. For instance, as a manager and a leader, I've had times where I felt the need to multi-task to get more done, and yes, I succumbed to the pressure. I do that from time, and I'm sure that happens to you too.

After multi-tasking for much of one recent day, I looked back at my day and realized this was one of my LEAST productive days in recent history. LEAST productive because I multi-tasked, and didn't get ANYTHING done. I got a lot of things started, but not much really done.

Conversely, some days I have done as Lisa suggested, I've "chunked" and set aside time during my week to focus on certain things I had to get done, and lo and behold, I got those things done! I do this every 6 months with performance reviews, I strive do this every week with my Monday morning look ahead, I do this Friday afternoon with my look back at the week, and I try to do this anytime I have new application testing to do.

Am I successful 100% of the time? Absolutely not. I'm a manager, for heaven's sake, and people need attention, my attention, often RIGHT NOW, and it can't wait. And I'm glad to interrupt my task and focus on my most important task, the growth and development of my people. But I do try to put these chunks back on my calendar so I can still do them.

The other chapters I mentioned were wonderfully laid out and explained, and they can help you take your leadership from shotgun spread to laser focus if you apply the things you learn in Lisa's book.

I encourage you to pick up your own copy of Focus Like a Laser Beam right now. Then, head over to Lisa's blog at Management Craft, sign up for her newsletter, and achieve more than you could if you tried to do so on your own. Lisa's like your personal coach, showing you the most effective ways to crank it up and lead like a laser beam, with the focus and determination you need.