How can a gun, Barcelona, and Rioja wine translate into a serious lesson about focus? Let me share an edgy story with a powerful punchline.
My buddy (we’ll call him ‘Mark’) and I were living the dream in Barcelona—tapas hopping, savoring great wine, completely submerged in the vibrant atmosphere. We were so focused on the moment—the next delicious bite, the next amusing linguistic misstep—that we missed everything else. We never saw the shark circling.
Picture this: You’re strolling out of a charming bodega, slightly tipsy from Rioja, completely lost in the carnival-like atmosphere. Everything feels sublime.
That’s precisely when the shark appeared.
Friendly at first, he engaged us in broken English and another language clearly not Spanish. Mark, always curious, leaned in closely, fully drawn in.
A subtle alarm went off in my head. I kept my distance.
“Come here, I want to show you something,” the shark said, drawing Mark even closer. He pulled out a wallet and began flipping through it.
Mark zeroed in, mesmerized by the stack of euros. Meanwhile, I stepped back, broadening my field of vision—and that’s when I saw it.
While holding up the wallet with one hand, the shark smoothly reached into his boot and drew out a small pistol.
“Run! He’s got a gun!” I shouted, swiftly moving like a Formula One driver. From a safe distance, I glanced back. Mark was frozen, staring down the barrel pointed squarely at him.
Without remembering the decoy wallet in his back pocket, Mark reached into his shirt and surrendered his hidden stash—passport, cash, and credit cards. The shark took it all and vanished into the night.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “Great story, but what’s the business lesson?”
Here’s the kicker: This situation parallels what happens in business when we’re overly focused on immediate gains—the next sale, the next big project, the next enticing opportunity. We often become blind to broader risks and threats lurking just beyond our immediate attention.
We get so engrossed in the tapas and Rioja moments of our day-to-day operations that we miss significant dangers until they’re staring us directly in the face.
Our brains naturally focus intensely on what’s right in front of us. Without intentional practice in expanding our vision to see the bigger picture, we risk overlooking critical threats.
What are you overly focused on right now? What significant risks are you ignoring because you’re too caught up in daily distractions?
What’s the cost of these blind spots to your business?
Don’t allow your business to become another cautionary tale. Don’t wait until you’re staring down the barrel of a metaphorical gun. Step back, broaden your vision, and ensure you can spot the dangers before they’re too close.
