What Deserves Attention?

The PLS Framework™The Third Perspective™LeadershipOrganizational Culture
Written By Kimberly Sanders

Moments of transition reveal what routine often hides.

The Monday after a holiday is one example. Everyone returns to work, but not everyone returns the same.

Some come back with renewed energy.

Others return carrying the same confusion, unresolved conflict, and operational friction they left behind.

This is where leadership matters.

Most leaders begin Monday by asking:

What's first?

Better leaders ask:

What's true?

Before you rush into meetings, decisions, and problem-solving, diagnose.

One question has become a filter for nearly every decision I make as a leader:

What deserves attention, and what is merely demanding it?

Those are not the same thing.

Organizations are filled with things demanding attention.

An inbox full of "urgent" emails.

A calendar packed with meetings.

A frustrated employee. Or two.

A complaint.

A last-minute request.

A crisis that suddenly becomes everyone's priority.

Some of those things deserve your attention.

Some simply demand it.

Demand is often driven by urgency, emotion, visibility, or whoever happens to have the loudest voice.

Deserving attention requires something different.

It requires discernment.

It asks:

Is this the real problem?

Will addressing this create meaningful progress?

Or am I simply reacting to the loudest symptom?

The distinction matters because attention is one of a leader's most limited resources.

Every "yes" to something that merely demands your attention is a "no" or “not yet” to something that genuinely deserves it.

That is why diagnosis always comes before action.

Before responding, determine where the problem actually lives.

Is it a Person issue?

A Leader issue?

Or a System issue?

Because the solution exists at the level of the problem.

When we misdiagnose the problem, we misdirect our attention.

And when our attention is misplaced, our leadership soon follows.

The pressure to move fast is real.

The pressure to move wisely is greater.

Speed without clarity doesn't create momentum.

It creates expensive rework.

I've found that most organizations don't have the problem they think they have.

They have a diagnosis problem.

And every good diagnosis begins with seeing clearly.

Kimberly D. Sanders
Executive Advisor • Creator of The Third Perspective™ • Diagnosing before prescribing.

Reflect

Before your next meeting, pause and ask yourself:

What deserves attention...and what is merely demanding it?

Then ask:

Where does this problem live?

☐ Person

☐ Leader

☐ System

Perspective reveals what deserves your attention.

If this perspective challenged your thinking, I'd love to continue the conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn or explore more insights as we learn to diagnose before we prescribe.

Kimberly Sanders

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Kimberly Sanders is an independent Administrative Consultant and Virtual Business Manager, with a vast amount of experience and working knowledge of operational strategies, organizational structure and administrative technique. She has the proven ability to not only offer impeccable business support, but also to lead and manage large and small tasks. Having a keen understanding of the general business model and the importance of client/customer care, she has recovered more than $5M for companies since 2013 through auditing and analysis. She has also helped companies to reduce Unemployment Claims expenses by thousands of dollars, and drastically improve general morale. Kimberly has mastered the art of professionalism, great service, multi-tasking and organization. She has also created written and implemented successful HR and payroll strategy, general business plans, employee manuals, policies, and compensation guidelines. With a specialty of working with small businesses, her diagnostic approach, intuitive skills, & innovative solutions result in an immediate impact on organization structure & business brand.

She attended the Clarkson University School of Business, and State University of New York at Buffalo. Having worked with some of the best companies and corporations in America, Kimberly Clarke has continued to expand her experience and sharpen her skills constantly.

Endorsed skills include, but are not limited to:

Administrative & Clerical Functions | Data Entry | Document Batching, Coding & Scanning | Invoicing | Word Processing

 Organization | Implementation | Accounts Payable | Accounts Receivable | Bookkeeping | Payroll Processing

Research, Analysis & Auditing | Claims Processing | Order Entry | Business Analysis

Business Development | Data Analysis | Information Management

Interviewing | Business Management | Training

Project Coordination | Office Coordination

“2016 marks 13 years since the first time I helped someone copyright their work…12.5 years since the first patent…12 years since my first business plan…11 years since my first management job...9 years since I did my first financial audit…9 years since my first employment rights audit…7 years since my first independent research project. And along the way, I’ve stayed active in the industry, just for sake of staying sharp. And I will keep going. I am blessed to do, and be great at what I love. I am here for the client, so they can do what they love. My clients trust experience.“

-Kimberly D.

 

http://kimberlyforgrace.tumblr.com
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