Divided Focus - A Lesson From Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you divide your focus you will fail.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey just went public with Square, Inc. insisting in his financial statements to both Twitter and Square, Inc. investors that he'll be ok splitting his time between the companies.

Now it looks like that decision is starting to bite him back. Without a hands on leader, Twitter is struggling to get the focus it needs to correct even some of the basic problems (Twitter's Timeline Changes Do Little to Solve Core Challenges).

It's not that a person cannot run two companies, but if the leadership who can be active in the day-day efforts of those organizations are not energized or empowered to make the critical decisions, the company will fail. Hopefully Jack will find a way to reenergize the Twitter world so we can continue to enjoy 140-character updates.

Lead by Accepting Responsibility

One of the greatest ways we've been able to grow as a society is by those people and institutions who have been willing to accept responsibility for things outside of their control. Let's look at some examples:

FDIC
Following the Great Depression, the FDIC began to offer guarantees on bank deposits. You've probably heard that your money is safe up to $200,000. Since 1933 no one has lost money due to a bank's failure, the government protects that money. Now, even if your credit card is stolen, you are only responsible for up to $50. This has changed the way we handle money and greatly increased our faith in the banking system.  https://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/

Stubhub
Is it Stubhub's fault if the seller of a ticket fails to mail it in? No, but even if that happens, Stubhub will give you a ticket out of their pocket to make sure the buyer isn't left standing in the cold.

Cash App by Square
One of my new favorite apps. While normally a bank transfer would take a couple days to process, the Cash app expedites the process to instantaneous by paying the money out of their pocket. They've instantly accepted all the risks of transferring money that the banks formerly refused to accept. Their P&L shows it has cost them some money, but they look well positioned for long term success.

Business owners accept responsibility for their employees, parents their kids, teachers the growth of their students. No guarantee or coverage can be 100%. The banking system could collapse, the concert could be completely sold out, or student's may decide not to learn, but it's the willingness to step up and accept responsibility for the outcome that make them leaders.

What are you outcomes are you responsible for? What's one thing you could guarantee that would show your leadership in arriving at that outcome?