In a world that’s noisy and busy and where markets move at a dizzying pace, focus is everything. And yet it’s more elusive than ever. There are simply too many things to do, too many news sources to scan, so many conflicting opinions about the right path forward. So, how do leaders playing to win find clarity in the chaos? How do we find focus — and, just as important, how do we keep it?
The answer is that focus isn’t just about attention. It starts with intention. Take Game 3 of the 1932 World Series (I’m writing this in October, after all), when Babe Ruth delivered one of the most iconic demonstrations of focus in sports history. With the score tied at Wrigley Field, Ruth stepped to the plate, pointed to the center-field fence, and hit the very next pitch for a home run. While historians still debate exactly what happened that day in Chicago, I contend there’s a leadership lesson that endures.
Call your shot. Choose your game. Commit to a strategy. Name your priority, and put it out there for others to see. That could be a career change. Or a promotion at your current company. Perhaps you’re leading a business, or even trying to turn one around (like I am!). No matter what your situation is, set your intention by pointing to the outcome you want to drive and what you want your team to achieve.
Once we’ve given ourselves the time and space we need to declare our intention, then as leaders, we can — and must — give our full attention.
Not too long ago, I worked for a huge tech company, leading its biggest subsidiary. While we outperformed the annual plan, we did struggle to hit our numbers in business applications, one of the smaller product areas. And it wasn’t obvious why.
So we made some tweaks. First, we set our intention to beat the revenue plan in that category. Then we gave that product the full attention it needed to grow. Instead of letting it be an afterthought, we put it first on the agenda of every meeting, with a heavy dose of growth mindset. I visited dozens of target customers, and I spent a huge amount of time with the sales teams. That fiscal year, we blew away the plan.
Now we’re following a similar playbook to drive transformation and empower our team at Lumen. We’ve called our shot. Our intention is to deliver one of the most significant transformations in corporate history, while disrupting an entire industry. We have a clear mission, vision, and strategy, and we’re giving it our full attention. We also made a deliberate decision to play on one field — the enterprise market. We’ve fully committed to building a digital network services company for the AI era. And our financial and human capital are clearly aligned to give this turnaround the space and time it needs to be successful.
The power of our transformation lies in our disciplined execution — shutting down distractions, eliminating the noise, and prioritizing things that matter with great clarity. These are the prerequisites for success.
Of course, pointing to the proverbial wall doesn’t always end up in a home run. Sometimes that swing needs a tweak. That’s why after intention and attention comes extension — or, put another way, focusing on the continuous feedback and learning that are necessary to extend and sustain progress.
Leadership and development are about taking in signals from the environment around you and making the necessary adjustments to get the outcome you pointed to — the result you want for yourself and your team. You can’t grow the team, the business, or the company without growing yourself. And that takes awareness, while always staying hungry and humble.
In sports, it might be as easy as deciding you need a coach. In business, it can be so much more nuanced. We simply must be open to learning the truth about where we need to improve and when we need to change direction. That takes commitment, courage, and, most importantly, vulnerability. It can be painful and filled with friction. But it’s worth it.
As I’ve come to learn, when we focus, we win.
Focus is the great clarifier: It cuts through change and chaos, aligns teams, and channels energy toward what truly matters. It’s not just a discipline; it’s a competitive advantage.
Kate Johnson WG94 is the CEO of Fortune 500 company Lumen Technologies. A recognized thought leader on digital transformation, she was named to the 2025 Forbes “50 Over 50” list and recently was featured on Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast and at Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Summit. Prior to Lumen, she held executive roles at Microsoft, GE, and Oracle. She currently lives in Seattle with her family.
