“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” – Paulo Coelho
Many of us are exploring the benefits of being more intentional and focusing on life’s journey. This new focus has helped people increase their joy at home or with loved ones. While these experiences can increase the level of life satisfaction, there is a hesitancy to apply this shift at work. Because we all know the workplace is more goal-oriented, and at work, the expectation is to focus on results. Oddly enough, there is much to be gained when you focus on your journey at work.
Let’s discover the unexpected benefits of guiding your team to becoming more process-oriented:
You See the Opportunities Before Anyone Else
When you are always focused on the goal, you sometimes don’t see things that align perfectly with this goal. This hyper-focus creates this sort of tunnel vision. But when you are paying attention to the journey, you start noticing the details of the world around you. Here is where you might find a new direction that everyone else has missed. Or you might see a new way in which to do something. This newfound awareness is powerful, especially when it helps your team spot the trends or opportunities before those around you.
You See the Problems Before Anyone Else
Likewise, you will start to notice when things go wrong a lot faster than those staring only at the goal. More often than not, the brewing problems go unnoticed when you are hyper-focused on the outcome. Also, being goal-oriented tends to blind you to the lessons you might otherwise learn from failure. When you focus on the journey, you have time to notice these problems before they become severe and give your team time to do something about them before it’s too late.
You Can Keep Your Performance Up
Are you having a bad day? If you are goal-oriented, you might force your way through bad times without noticing how much your team’s productivity is dropping. When you are focusing on the journey, you know immediately when your game is off, and you can take steps to do something about it and bring yourself back up to speed before losing too much momentum.
You Will Have More Satisfaction in Your Work
Focusing more on the journey than the goal will make you more content in your work life. There is less room for dissatisfaction when you are mindful and in the present. This focus shift makes the entire work experience much more relaxing and less stressful. Having a more relaxed team is a good thing because this means your team is easier to work with and, as such, is much more appreciated in the long run by your peers and others.
Altogether, it is worth shifting your team’s focus to the process instead of the goal. After all, wouldn’t you love to help your team experience more satisfaction and a lot less stress at work?
