Too tempting to remain focused

I love the word focus. Unfortunately for me, the seriousness of this came pretty late in life and by then I was all over the place scampering for a share in the ‘me too’ market. And then, someone someday articulated the need to bring some ‘focus’ in life. Ever since that day, am relentlessly trying to integrate my initiatives to sharpen my focus. As an individual it’s pretty easy. Abhinav Bhindra, Sachin Tendulkar to name a few successful people wouldn’t have been where they are now without focus.
Moving over to the corporate jungle, can we recall a company that has a clear focus? Not many, heh! One would believe that organizations would narrow their focus in an intensely competitive global market where products get increasingly commoditized. A quick look at the Indian market would reveal that companies are diversifying, widening their focus to grab as much of the market share as possible. Coca Cola entered and diversified – from colas to drinking water to snacks. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ‘Coco Cola Hotel’ in future. Unilever - the only thing I recall of the company is its continuous endeavor in reducing the number of brands – amassed over the years chasing existing and non-existing markets. Take the example of Maruti. As a potential customer, do you have a clue of which car to buy from their stable?
The point here is as companies diversify, their focus on extending values diminish. Growth becomes a constant in all strategic plans – straining the management as well as the people on ground. The values promised to customers through various brands, values for employees, values for partners etc. In a world where, brands or for that matter companies disappear within days, it is important for companies to ensure that customers reverberate its values. Recall Lehman Brothers? What happened?
Going back to why I love the word focus. It’s only because it’s an all encompassing word for a company. Focus on people, focus on customers, focus on partners, suppliers, market etc. Everything else will automatically fall into place if the buzz word is focus within a company.