Keeping Your Focus Through Halfway Point of 2010

We are at the halfway point of 2010. Needless to say, the year has been treating most people better than last. If you have been marching against your operating strategy appropriately this year, you should be at the point where you have reviewed your progress against last quarter and are setting goals for Q3. At OpenView Venture Partners, one thing we stress both internally and to our expansion stage portfolio companies is keeping focused against goals.

As management teams are defining their business growth strategies and setting their goals for Q3, it is essential that focus against the operating plan that was set at the beginning of the year is maintained. It is very easy to see an exciting new initiative to potentially undertake and then inadvertently steer the ship in a different course. With that, what one must ask themselves as they are setting their goals is: “Does this align against my 2010 strategy and will it allow me to achieve the vision I have set out at the beginning of the year?” If you find that he answer is “no”, you should ask yourself, “is this potential initiative defocusing my organization?” or “did I incorrectly define my strategy at the beginning of the year and need to reset?”

At the end, focus against a goal is key in order to generate results. Make sure you don’t lose focus as you are crossing the halfway point of 2010. You only have 6 months left to meet your annual targets!

-KKF