As an IT professional services firm, it’s easy to fall prey to the Shiny Object Syndrome. You’re constantly looking for new ways to innovate, grow and stay ahead of the competition. However, in this quest for new opportunities, it’s essential to avoid the trap of chasing every new idea that comes your way.
The Shiny Object Syndrome can be detrimental to your business goals, causing you to waste time, energy, and resources chasing ideas that may not even align with your company’s vision. To avoid this syndrome, you need to have a framework that helps you stay focused on your goals while still being open to new opportunities.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss three key strategies that IT professional service firms can use to avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome: knowing what you want and learning to say no, focusing on your strengths, and understanding the root of your distractions.
Know What You Want and Learn to Say No
One of the critical elements of avoiding the Shiny Object Syndrome is knowing what you want and learning to say no. As an IT professional service firm, you need to be clear on your business goals and priorities. This clarity allows you to filter out distractions and stay focused on what’s essential.
When new opportunities come your way, you need to evaluate them based on whether they align with your business goals and whether they will help you achieve your objectives. If an opportunity doesn’t fit these criteria, you should learn to say no.
Saying no can be difficult, especially when you’re dealing with potential clients or new business opportunities. However, it’s essential to stay true to your goals and objectives. Saying yes to everything that comes your way can lead to overcommitment and dilution of your resources.
Focus, Focus, Focus
Another essential strategy for avoiding the Shiny Object Syndrome is to focus, focus, focus. The more you focus, the faster you will grow and attract the right staff and clients.
As an IT professional service firm, you need to focus on your strengths. Instead of being a jack-of-all-trades, focus on your core competencies and what you do best. If you want to become an industry leader or expert, you have to know the trade deeply and provide relevant and fresh new insights to your clients, adding more value to their business.
Focusing on your range of service lines, market sectors, and geographies to those where you have a real “right to win” those deals is essential. Jumping to new routes will take a lot of time and resources to learn, understand unknowns, and acquire new skills. Once you move to a new sector or another service line, you are throwing away years of developing mastery in your current skill sets.
Understand the Root of Your Distractions
The Shiny Object Syndrome feeds on your fears: fear of missing out, fear of not having the best, or fear of failure. The best way to combat this is to understand why you have the compulsion to chase new goals in the first place.
Are you chasing new ideas because you fear missing out on an opportunity that could potentially bring in more business? Or are you looking for the next big thing because you’re afraid of falling behind your competitors?
Understanding the root of your distractions can help you identify the real reasons why you’re chasing new goals. Once you identify these reasons, you can evaluate whether the new opportunity aligns with your business goals and whether it’s worth pursuing.
In Conclusion
The Shiny Object Syndrome can be detrimental to IT professional service firms, causing them to waste time, energy, and resources chasing ideas that may not align with their company’s vision. However, by following the strategies outlined in this blog post, you can avoid this syndrome and stay focused on your business goals.
