Even in the midst of the recession, I have had plenty of meetings with entrepreneurs suffering from Entrepreneurial Attention Deficit Disorder (EADD). Had one just yesterday, in fact.
Even in a down economy there are many opportunities, and those with a creative mind see them everywhere.
For years I have had posters on my wall as part of my speech to those suffering from EADD. My first one was a island golf hole with the word “Focus” on the bottom. It actually went back to my days before I got back into teaching when one of my partners and I both suffered from serious bouts of EADD. When I got into teaching, I found that it was an important tool when counseling student and alumni entrepreneurs.
Over the years the picture faded, but my need for such a visual aid did not. So I bought a replacement a couple of years ago. It is also a golf theme, this time with a green visual through a tough shot through some trees (A position I am not unfamiliar with due to my occasionally errant drives).
EADD is a blessing and a curse. Some of the coolest business ideas I have pursued came out of episodes of EADD. But, an inability to focus on one business at a time also led to some of my most trying times.
Moving on to the next cool idea before you nail the current one is not a recipe for a successful and healthy entrepreneurial career.
Entrepreneur.com features a summary of a method developed by author Scott Belsky to balance the need for creative thinking with successful implementation.
Belsky’s approach offers three key steps (more than that would overwhelm anyone with EADD):
1. Hire killjoys. One of our partners played this role for us. He tended to worry about the downside. At first we thought he was, well, a real killjoy. But over time we realized that his caution balanced our enthusiasm in a very important way. Hiring people who can and will say “No” to some of your ideas can also work.
2. Work with bias toward action. Focus on getting things ready for market and then focus even harder on building customers. No matter how tempting that next idea might be, leave it alone until your current business is nicely cash flowing.
3. Change your vocabulary. Celebrate implementation and business milestones, not creative free-for-alls. Over time it will alter your culture to one of action and not just ideas.
If you suffer from EADD, read Tim Beyers’ article at entrepreneur.com, buy Belsky’s book, and find people who will hold you accountable for implementation and action.