Chris Hunsicker argues focus is a master skill for dealership leaders. He cites Dr. Joey Collins' idea that energy follows focus, then offers three mindset shifts: concentrate on what you control, solve problems instead of just naming them, and value what you have. His 15-step focus system boils down to putting attention where you want it and keeping it there.
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Let me ask you a question straight up. When was the last time you were sitting down to get some really important work done? It was a strategic plan you were working on. It was an acquisition strategy you were trying to figure out. It was a hiring plan that you were putting together, but it really mattered to your business and you were really committed to getting it done. And about five minutes into working, all of a sudden you were checking your phone, you're thinking about what you're going to have for lunch, you were going back to 11 open tabs on your computer, and all of a sudden you're feeling totally exhausted and you haven't even gotten anything accomplished yet. Me too, because that's exactly what happens to me now. I want to share with you an insight that once I got this, it changed the game for me. I call this master skill number two. And it's your ability to put your attention or your focus where you want, when you want, for as long as you want. That's focused. That's the game, that is the skill that separates amateurs from assassins. And if you're serious about outrunning the bear that we talked about yesterday and really outrunning your competition in this April 2nd economy or this post April 2nd economy, then you better sharpen the one weapon most people never master. Focus. I'm Chris Hunsicker, and this is the dealership war room. Your daily dose of leadership fire. For those dealership pros, the that don't flinch when the heat hits. Today's episode is for anyone who's ever been distracted, frustrated, or pulled in too many different directions. And if that's you, let's start fixing it right now. A few years ago, I was coaching at gsm and he was smart, dedicated, focused, knew the business. But every day he was showing up already, behind meetings, emails, texts, fires, distractions. He was managing chaos instead of leading with clarity. So I asked him, hey, what would happen if you knew that you could absolutely lock in for one hour every single day on the one or two things that mattered most? He laughed. He just looked at me, said, if I could do that, I'd actually dominate my market. I said, great, then that's where we're going to start. And I said, what we're going to do is build you a distraction proof advantage. What followed was three weeks of coaching where we dialed in exactly how to build and then maintain his focus so that he could master skill number two to put his focus where it needed to be, when it needed to be, for as long as it needed to be. What happened? Grosses went up, sales improved, customer satisfaction got better, and the whole vibe of the team started to change. Why? Because he stopped reacting to everything and started responding to the right things. This isn't about hustle. This isn't about working more hours. This is about protecting your focus. Like your entire future depends on it. Because it does. A friend and mentor of mine, Dr. Joey Collins, wrote about this exact subject in his breakthrough book, Act Like a Leader, the Distraction, Proof, Advantage. And he said something in that book that stuck with me. He said, energy follows focus. And when you lose your focus, you start to bleed your energy. That's why you end up feeling so exhausted. That's why you can be working at 8,000 things at your desk all day, running from thing to thing to thing, solving problems, putting out fires, doing everything. And you feel totally exhausted when you got nothing done. Because when you lose your focus, it bleeds all of your energy. So let me give you three simple shifts that you can use to start dialing in your focus today. Number one, there's things you can control and things you can't control. And you decide your focus. You get to decide. Are you going to focus on the things you can't control. Interest rates, tariffs, the economy, the bear. Or are you going to focus on the things you can control. Your effort, your calendar, your mindset, your temper, the emotional climate of your team. Because here's the dirty little secret. Your focus determines the focus of your entire team. When you get undisciplined in your focus, they get undisciplined in their focus. And you know this from timing. If you come in right on time, your people come in 10 minutes late. If you show up 15 minutes early, your people will show up on time. That is the nature of leadership. There is no more expensive price that you can pay than the price of losing your focus. So number two, there are things you can do, and there's things you can't do. When you come up against a wall, when you come up against a problem, don't. Don't get stuck on what you can't do. I share this with my teams all the time. As a manager, you do not get paid to identify problems. You get paid to solve problems. Anybody can identify problems. Anybody can make a list of things you can't do. All the things that are unfair, that are not right, that they change, that get in the way. There's no value in that. There's also no skill in that. The skill comes when. What can you do today, right now, in this moment, you've heard the Latin phrase, carpe diem sees the day. I. I like carpe punctum. Seize the moment. Right now, in this moment, what can I do to move things forward and start focusing on the things you can control. And the more you execute on what you can control, the more things you'll find that you can control. And the number three tool is where are you going to focus on the things that you have or the things that you don't have? You don't have as much inventory, you don't have as much financial support. There's not incentives out there. Pick what it is. There's all kinds of things out there that you don't have. Wonderful. Neither does anybody else. And you can focus on the things that you have. As a matter of fact, the key to gratitude, the key to peace of mind, is your ability to be appreciative of what you have and not constantly frustrated what you don't have. What you do have is a team. And you got tools and you got talent and you got a killer podcast that's dropping leadership fire on you every single morning. When you shift your focus from what you don't have to what you have, not only does that produce a sense of gratitude, which is fantastic for your emotional health and well being, but more than that, it shifts your emotional state and it sharpens your edge. I call this part the 15 step ninja focus System. Are you ready? Here it is. Step one. Put your attention where you want. Steps two through 15. Keep it there. That's it. This is the most important skill in leadership. Sounds simple, but it is the hardest discipline in leadership. But it's also the ones that pays the biggest dividends. So let's bring this home. You do not have to outwork everybody, but you must out focus everyone. And that starts today. Decide what's most important, block the noise and stay locked in. And if you can do that, you're going to start building your focus muscle. And if you sharpen that tool, you build that muscle, then you are going to have the number one skill that is necessary to succeed in this post. April 2nd market. This is it. Master skill number two. Can you put your attention and your focus where it needs to be, when it needs to be, for as long as it needs to be. And if you can do that, that is the master skill. So build that muscle, sharpen that sword, and let's go hunting. And I'll see you tomorrow in the dealership war room.
