Organizations who "get it" understand the importance of focus. It's more than just a steely-eyed concentration on the specific products or services they provide.   It's that everyone in that organization shares the same vision.  The Salvation Army has been justifiably called the "most effective organization in the United States" and the same could be said for their Canadian operation.  Have you ever wondered how they manage to take pocket change and cast-off furniture and turn it into millions of hot meats, housing and counseling services?  The answer is focus.

The unofficial vision of the Salvation Army is "soup, soap, salvation."  If you are working at the mission, you are doing one of three things - feeding people, cleaning them up or preaching them the gospel.  That's it.  If you are NOT doing one of these three things, then you are not helping the mission with its work.  Pretty easy for employees to prioritize their tasks, stay productive and contribute to the Army's legendary efficiency.

There are so many large organizations, particularly in the public sector, who struggle to define their focus.  They take the time to develop long, glowing Mission and Vision statements yet they are constantly "re-organizing", being shuffled among departments and having their mandates changed by political forces beyond their control.  Senior management changes frequently, sometimes creating a leadership vacuum.  All of these factors are a reality of the public sector, yet none of them should prevent the development of focused work units within a department or ministry.

To develop your work unit's focus, a manager has to take the following steps:

1. Gather the employees and review the unit's work in relation to the overall organization
2. Now ask the employees to develop their Vision, using the Salvation Army's "soup, soap, salvation" as a model
3. Tweak the Vision so that it is consistent with the organization's direction, is memorable and enables employees to prioritize their work
4. Get everyone a coffee cup with the Vision proudly printed on it
5. Employ resources to fulfill the Vision consistently and reward employees (even with the occasional sincere "thank you") for their focus
6. If the work unit's priorities are suddenly changed, get everyone together and repeat Steps 1-5

Having a clear, attainable focus contributes to organizational effectiveness, high employee engagement and operational efficiencies.  And don't forget to spare some pocket change for a good charity!