Focus is a good thing. To know what you're doing, you need to know what you're not doing. So companies define their space, focus their attention, and get to work. But.
What if customers frame their needs differently from you? What if a competitor looks at the world from another angle? What if something that is off-target in your frame turns out to be on-target for another way of looking at things?
When do you notice that last year's off-target product from an adjacent market turns out to be this year's competitor?
What if the customer you've focused all of your attention on realizes that he's been working in an analytics silo and decides to see what else is out there?
No answers today
This isn't one of those questions with a general answer. The question is the point. Focus to get things done, but don't stop wondering what's just outside that might become relevant.
That's my target from the virtual firing range at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Turns out I'm quite the marksman when the rifle's firing a laser, there's no wind, recoil, noise, or other distractions—and most especially when nobody's shooting back. If you're near Quantico, Virginia, the museum is well worth your visit.
