
<p style="text-align: justify;">Leaders who change the world have this kind of sharp focus. Think about the leaders of the Bible and the focus they had to bring about revolutionary change:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Abraham left his homeland, wealth, and friends for a new land because he focused on an unseen kingdom.</li>
<li>Joseph had strength to endure hardship and prisons because his dream focused on the greatness of God.</li>
<li>Moses could turn his back on Egypt because he was focused on God’s plan.</li>
<li>Stephen preached an unpopular message and died a martyr because of his focus.</li>
<li>Paul gave everything up and said, “This one thing I do.”</li>
<li>Jesus told Martha, “Only one thing is necessary.”</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">What does it take to gain the focus required to become a truly eﬀective leader? The keys are priorities and concentration. A leader who knows his priorities but lacks concentration knows what to do, but never gets it done. A leader with concentration but no priorities has excellence without progress. But when leaders harness both, they gain the potential to achieve great things.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">People base their decisions on a variety of things:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The Ultimate: ﬁrst things ﬁrst.</li>
<li>The Urgent: loud things ﬁrst.</li>
<li>The Unpleasant: hard things ﬁrst.</li>
<li>The Unﬁnished: last things ﬁrst.</li>
<li>The Unfulﬁlling: dull things ﬁrst.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Paul exempliﬁes a leader who focused on the ultimate every day. How about you? To get back on track with your focus, work on these items:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Work on yourself. You are your greatest asset or worst liability.</li>
<li>Work on your priorities. Fight for the important ones.</li>
<li>Work in your strengths. You can reach your potential if you do.</li>
<li>Work with your colleagues. You can’t be eﬀective alone.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Taken from <a href="https://link.biblegateway.com/click/35619925.19024/aHR0cHM6Ly9iaWJsLmVzLzNBVWhlcHc/5ef5087d3f8d747b4f7c2923B3050a053">The NIV Maxwell Leadership Bible</a>.</p>