Diary of a Leader: Why Leadership Focus Sets the Tone for Team Success
- Lindsay Sheldrake
- Mar 24
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 4
Welcome to "Diary of a Leader" - Real Stories, Leadership Lessons, and Personal Growth
Ah, leadership! The thrilling, heart-racing journey of ups, downs, and all the delightful chaos in between.
Welcome to "Diary of a Leader," where I peel back the curtain on the good, the bad, and the downright awkward moments of being a leader.
Leadership is more than a role; it’s a responsibility to grow, inspire, and help others reach their potential. So, as I reflect on my lessons learned, my goal is to equip you with the insights and tools to lead with clarity, authenticity, and impact.
And Today, I’m Serving Up a Leadership Lesson About Focus.
Let’s start with this: focus isn’t just a personal productivity hack—it’s a leadership responsibility. Because when a leader loses focus, it doesn’t just affect their own work. It impacts the clarity, momentum, and direction of the entire team.
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count.
The Leadership Ripple Effect
If you’ve ever thrown a pebble into a pond, you know what happens next—ripples. One small drop disrupts the whole surface. Leadership is exactly like that.
When a leader lacks focus, the ripple effect is immediate and far-reaching.
Priorities get muddled.
Projects stall.
Team members get pulled in too many directions.
Energy is spent—but outcomes are blurry.
And the tricky part? It often happens slowly and silently.
One week you’re laser-focused. The next, you’re chasing five new ideas, reacting to every email, and wondering why your team seems disconnected or off-track.
The truth is: your team is always watching. Your behavior sets the tone. When you’re clear and consistent, they follow. When you’re scattered, so are they.
The End-of-Quarter Fog
This is especially relevant right now.
As we wrap up the quarter, there’s a natural tendency to take stock: What got done? What didn’t? Are we on track?
These are important questions. But here’s what I’ve observed over the years—especially with executive teams:
Quarterly planning meetings are filled with clarity. Everyone walks out energized, focused, and aligned.
But three months later? That clarity often starts to fade.
It’s not because people don’t care. It’s because in the whirlwind of day-to-day responsibilities, focus slowly erodes—and with it, so does execution.
My Own Leadership Lesson in Focus
Several years ago, I was leading operations at a company during one of the busiest times of the year. We had just wrapped a quarterly planning session and came out with crystal-clear goals. I was confident. The team was fired up. Our roadmap was solid.
But as the weeks went on, I found myself pulled in too many directions.
Every new opportunity seemed urgent. I kept saying “yes” to things that felt exciting—but didn’t directly tie back to our core priorities. I was spinning plates, shifting priorities, and unintentionally creating confusion.
One of my project leads came to me and said,
“I feel like the target keeps moving. We’re trying, but we’re not sure what matters most anymore.”
That was the wake-up call.
I had set the plan—but I hadn’t stayed focused on it. And as a result, I had become the pebble in the pond. My lack of focus was rippling out and making the entire team unsure of where to direct their energy.
We paused. We regrouped. And we recommitted to the original priorities. I owned my role in the drift and got clear again—on what mattered and what didn’t.
That moment taught me that alignment isn’t something you set and forget—it’s something you must protect.
The Discipline of Doing Less, Better
This isn’t about working harder—it’s about choosing better.
And that takes discipline.
As a leader, your focus is not just your own—it’s borrowed by every person who reports to you. When you shift directions mid-quarter or pile on new priorities without trimming others, your team inherits that chaos.
But when you stay locked in on what matters most, it creates alignment, trust, and momentum.
Here’s what I remind myself (and my clients) every time the “do more” temptation creeps in:
✔ What’s the ONE thing we need to crush this quarter?
✔ Which efforts create the biggest impact—and which are just noise?
✔ Am I setting a clear direction, or creating unnecessary confusion?
Focus is a leadership muscle. And the best leaders build it intentionally.
Wrapping Up (Because Time is Precious)
Here’s the takeaway: As a leader, focus isn’t optional—it’s contagious.
If you’re ending the quarter feeling stretched thin, step back and recalibrate. Don’t let the urgency of “everything” dilute the impact of what truly matters.
Your team is looking to you to set the tone. So set it with intention.
Prioritize the high-value work. Block out the distractions. Lead with clarity.
Because when you focus, your team can too—and that’s when real results happen.
Catch you next time, fellow leaders-in-training—and remember, leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters, better.
Stay tuned for more reflections and lessons from the trenches of leadership in the next installment of
"Diary of a Leader"
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