Tackling Distractions
Avlesh Singh,
CEO and Co-Founder, WebEngage
A lot was going on at WebEngage. We were in the process of launching our marketing automation software – Journey Designer and my team successfully achieved that goal. However, it wasn’t all as easy as it seems. There were so many distractions that kept coming our way.
Looking back, these were 3 BIG ones.
A.The media euphoria
Every startup was making news, except for the fact that they were all consumer internet or COOL startups. Some were in the news for funding and others for the lack of it. Some were in news because they hired by the hundreds, while others made news because they fired by the hundreds.
I cared less about all of the above; until, of-course, the time when these events lead to a heightened sense of ‘fear of missing out’ in me. People consider lack of hype as lack of ambition. Fighting that common notion is an uphill task. There kicks in the distraction!
B.The surge of copycats
For every well executed business idea, there would be a dozen copycats in almost no time. And if you operate in a crowded space like marketing automation – good luck!For established categories (like customer support, email marketing etc), this doesn’t impact much if you have an early mover advantage with a good product. With WebEngage, we were creating a new category; and then we had to cope up with the surge of these copycats – some of them being shameless enough to use our website and marketing content, as is, on theirs. There comes in the distraction!
C.Overcoming the ‘moonshot inertia’
There is no such term, I just made it up!Moonshots, 10x leap … all these terms are used for large companies that are able to move with startup like pace when it comes to building stuff.In a running business, this is extremely hard to do. And believe me, its not for the lack of intent. Challenging both (customers and team) to change this state of love is a very difficult thing to do. Invariably, any moonshot attempt is perceived of as a distraction.
Managing distractions…
Knowing you are distracted is the first step. Most fall in that trap unknowingly. There are a few things that have worked for me. Here’s my guide to fight distractions!
A.Being disillusioned
Not everything that you see around you is truth. People say things even when they don’t mean it. And, there’s nothing wrong with it. People evolve. You need to evolve too. The key thing here is to find out what’s important. What is that you should lose your sleep over? Most distracted people would lose it for almost anything and everything. Disillusionment helps in keeping you focused on the bigger goal.
B.Being on a mission
First and foremost, please have a mission in life. For some its working for a good life, for some its buying a house, for me its building an ever-growing company. Find yours. The stronger and bigger that mission is, the lesser the distraction would be. When on a mission, terms like can, maybe, should, but ... lose their significance. That said, having a mission is not enough. Getting the stakeholders (your team, family etc) aligned and execute per that mission is a BIG challenge.
C.Being organized
This one is a bit philosophical. Most people I know, are heavily unorganized in their lives and work. And here’s a candid confession, so am I. I worked on it extensively last year to get better. Whether its about scheduling meetings or organizing files, I see real funny ways in how people accomplish such tasks. Most don’t even realize the downsides of a cluttered life. It kills your productivity. I have gotten much better at organizing myself, except for the fact that I still don’t use WhatsApp. Let software eat your world, atleast for work.
Wish you more focus and less distractions in 2017. Go, win!
There is no such term, I just made it up!Moonshots, 10x leap … all these terms are used for large companies that are able to move with startup like pace when it comes to building stuff.In a running business, this is extremely hard to do. And believe me, its not for the lack of intent. Challenging both (customers and team) to change this state of love is a very difficult thing to do. Invariably, any moonshot attempt is perceived of as a distraction.
Managing distractions…
Knowing you are distracted is the first step. Most fall in that trap unknowingly. There are a few things that have worked for me. Here’s my guide to fight distractions!
A.Being disillusioned
Not everything that you see around you is truth. People say things even when they don’t mean it. And, there’s nothing wrong with it. People evolve. You need to evolve too. The key thing here is to find out what’s important. What is that you should lose your sleep over? Most distracted people would lose it for almost anything and everything. Disillusionment helps in keeping you focused on the bigger goal.
B.Being on a mission
First and foremost, please have a mission in life. For some its working for a good life, for some its buying a house, for me its building an ever-growing company. Find yours. The stronger and bigger that mission is, the lesser the distraction would be. When on a mission, terms like can, maybe, should, but ... lose their significance. That said, having a mission is not enough. Getting the stakeholders (your team, family etc) aligned and execute per that mission is a BIG challenge.
C.Being organized
This one is a bit philosophical. Most people I know, are heavily unorganized in their lives and work. And here’s a candid confession, so am I. I worked on it extensively last year to get better. Whether its about scheduling meetings or organizing files, I see real funny ways in how people accomplish such tasks. Most don’t even realize the downsides of a cluttered life. It kills your productivity. I have gotten much better at organizing myself, except for the fact that I still don’t use WhatsApp. Let software eat your world, atleast for work.
Having a mission is not enough. Getting the stakeholders (your team, family etc) aligned and execute per that mission is a BIG challenge
Wish you more focus and less distractions in 2017. Go, win!
