It’s ski season again, and I’m reminded of a time when I took my oldest grandson out to the slopes for his first-ever ski lesson. A phrase that I found myself repeating to him over and over brought back memories from my early years of learning the sport.
You see, I absolutely loved skiing, but I had one problem—I had a knack for crashing into things. Trees, fences, the occasional grooming equipment—they were all fair game. My instructor would watch and shake his head in amusement until finally, he gave me some advice that has stuck with me ever since: “Stop staring at the obstacles. Look where you want to go.”
I know that seems too obviously simple, but stick with me here.
I mean, of course, I should be looking where I wanted to go. We all know that! But as it turns out, that is much easier said than done. Think about it. This is one of those “obvious” things we think we’re doing—the same way we think we’re assuming the best of others but secretly judging their motives, or the same way we think we’re being patient in traffic even though we’re mumbling obscenities under our breath. Sometimes it takes an outside observer to show us what we’re really doing. In my case, it was my ski instructor.
During my lessons, it became clear that I was, in fact, focusing so much on what I didn’t want to hit that I was aiming straight toward it. Every time I locked eyes on that tree, I ended up face-first in the bark.
Fast forward a few decades, and that simple advice from my instructor not only made me a better skier but has also become a cornerstone of how I approach leadership and life.
As leaders, we’re responsible for steering the ship. Whether it’s a business, a team, or our family, our focus determines our direction.
And yet, it’s so easy to get caught up in all the things we don’t want to happen:
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• What if sales plummet?
• What if this new hire doesn’t work out?
• What if I mess this up?
The problem is, just like eight-year-old me on skis, when we spend all our time looking at the obstacles, we start heading straight for them.
Great leaders don’t ignore challenges; they acknowledge them. But instead of dwelling on what could go wrong, they focus their energy on what they want to achieve. It’s about creating a vision and committing to it relentlessly.
Any leader will tell you that the path to success is anything but straight. A good skier can glide around the obstacles because experience has taught them, many times, the hard and painful way! Just like a good skier, a good leader knows that energy flows where attention goes. If you’re constantly worrying about failure, you’re feeding it. But when you choose to focus on success—on the opportunities, the solutions, and the possibilities—you give them the power to grow.
When I first launched my business, it would have been easy to obsess over all the ways it might fail. And trust me, there were plenty of opportunities to panic. Manufacturing hurdles, skeptical investors, and an industry that hadn’t seen much innovation in decades had the power to keep me up at night. But I made a conscious decision to look where I wanted to go. I focused on creating a product that solved real problems, on building a team that believed in the vision, and on pushing through challenges with the determination that failure was not the finish line—it was just a detour. The result? Not only did we overcome those obstacles, but we thrived because we stayed locked in on the goal, not the “trees” in our path.
When you, as a leader, focus on what’s possible, it inspires those around you to do the same. Teams mirror the energy of their leaders. If you’re fixated on the negatives, your team will be, too. But if you’re laser-focused on the destination, they’ll start to believe in it with you. It’s not about ignoring problems; it’s about refusing to let them define your direction.
So, when you find yourself stuck staring at obstacles, here are a few ways to shift your focus:
- Make sure you are crystal clear about where you want to go. Revisit (or redefine, if necessary) your vision – write it down and share it with your team regularly. Work it into your DNA. All future success depends on the clarity around this first step.
- Talk About Solutions, Not Problems: When challenges arise, redirect conversations to what you can do instead of what might go wrong.
- Celebrate Progress: Focus on the wins, no matter how small. Each step forward is proof you’re heading in the right direction.
- Surround Yourself with Forward-Thinkers: Not “yes-people” who are afraid to speak the truth, but people who embrace the vision and encourage you to keep your eyes on the prize, no matter the pitfalls.
The world throws a lot of distractions and obstacles our way, but leadership demands that we look past them. We can’t pretend they don’t exist, but we can maneuver around them with precision when our focus is aligned with our destination. We can steer ourselves—and the people we lead—toward a future filled with possibility, growth, and success.
My ski instructor’s advice all those years ago is simple but powerful and still rings true: “Look where you want to go,” and chances are very good that’s where you’ll end up.