I joked during a recent presentation about my strict avoidance of PowerPoint animations on slides.
At the surface, this was an offhand comment about personal technology preferences when presenting content.
Under the surface, this was a statement of my strategic focus – and choosing what not to prioritize when designing content. I believe that if the content is all important, I should make sure it’s all visible and not dependent on animation clicks being queued up correctly. By choosing to not utilize in-slide animation, I’m able to present with confidence, knowing that all the content I’ve built will show up exactly when I expect it to…and no copy/paste error or animation pane sequence glitch can stop that.
This is my strategy to avoid distracting variables and wholly focus my attention on what’s most important at that moment: the actual presentation and delivery of content to the audience.
Michael Porter famously described the essence of strategy as “choosing what not to do.”
At that moment, my decision on what not to do was around PowerPoint animations…but the principle transcends presentation software.
I first began thinking about strategic focus when I read Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park*. I was struck by Dr. Ian Malcolm’s clothing style philosophy. Dr. Malcolm’s approach isn’t captured as clearly in the film adaptation, but in the book, he describes a strategic decision he’s made to exclusively wear black and gray clothing. The rationale is that black and gray are suitable colors for any occasion, they always pair well together, and having this ultimate color capsule wardrobe frees up the mind to exclusively think about bigger challenges. In short, this is a statement on what not to focus on, ensuring that the character is able to fully focus on chaos theory (and avoiding dinosaurs).
Dr. Malcolm isn’t alone in this philosophy. Steve Jobs offers the most well-known example in the business world for his decision on what not to focus on.
Steve Jobs famously wore a black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers each day to maximize convenience and cultivate a signature style. He initially pitched the idea of a company-wide uniform to simplify decision making and create a sense of cohesion, but this wasn’t embraced by the full Apple team. The idea of a broader organizational norm didn’t resonate with his intended participants. However, Jobs’s standardization choice worked well for him as he owned that strategic choice. On an individual level, by eliminating decision fatigue and distractions from his wardrobe, Jobs made a strategic decision on what to focus on – and what to leave set to autopilot – while shaping the future of smart technology.
A recent study on variability in meal choices highlights a similar trend. Researchers found that across countries, people are more likely to eat the same meal every day for breakfast than for lunch and dinner. A standardized breakfast becomes the launchpad for shifting critical focus and attention elsewhere. By simplifying the morning routine with a locked-in choice, busy mornings become manageable, decision fatigue is decreased, and mental focus can be reallocated on the more variable parts of the day.
From PowerPoint features to clothing choices to breakfast meals, identifying which variables require selection and attention, and which can be avoided or standardized within the routine, presents an opportunity to sharpen strategic focus. By choosing where not to allocate your attention, you’re choosing to prioritize your selected strategic direction.
What’s the variable you’ve chosen to stop thinking about so you can focus on what matters most?
Thanks for reading Strategy Stories by Lavorgna Strategy Studio!
About Strategy Stories
Strategy Stories is built on a single belief: the most useful strategic insights don’t always come from inside your industry. Through this platform, Jackie Lavorgna, PhD, SMP shares case studies, analyses, and anecdotes for curious leaders, strategists, innovators, and futurists — spanning readers throughout the United States and across 16+ countries.
Strategy Stories is the insights vertical of Lavorgna Strategy Studio, a consultancy helping leaders, teams, and organizations prepare and plan for the future through strategic planning and strategic foresight.
*Note: This post includes affiliate links for book recommendations. If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a commission at no charge to you.
Jackie, thanks for offering this Sunday read for me as I sit on my balcony in Singapore. Also a timely read for me too as I’m currently trying to make a decision with a multitude of options. We’re so inundated with stimulation, distraction, temptation, decision paralysis - that taking a pause to remind yourself of your North Star and exactly what it takes to get there (and as you remind us, what it doesn’t take us to get there either). Thanks for this reminder, nice to connect.