Do you remember those old cartoons where Wile E. Coyote is so focused on outsmarting The Road Runner that he inevitably ends up getting in his own way? He spends so much time and energy trying to be one step ahead of the bird that he forgets what his end goal was.

It’s easy (and human) to focus on the competition. Every business big or small has its own Road Runner to outsmart. But what if the competition isn’t your biggest threat? What if fear of failure, complacency, maintaining the status quo, the agility of upstarts, saving face or a product that doesn’t exist yet is your real competition?

Your end goal is almost never to beat the competition, it’s usually far bigger than that. So, how will you maintain focus and get out of your own way?

Image by Kevin Trotman.