I’ll admit it….. I am a list-maker, reminder-setter, and planner junkie. If there is a system to keep me on track, I have probably tried it! When I could not find one that I liked- I made my own. I like my ducks in a row, color-coded, and marching in order. And yes, I love being laser-focused on a task. But here’s the kicker: when I get hyper-focused, things slip. Not the small stuff either- the important things. Think about edit deadlines. (And no, I’m not saying I missed one… but I’m not saying I didn’t either.)
Take my most recent example: I have been working on an edit for a mentor I admire. I have been obsessing over getting it “just right.” Guess what I wasn’t paying attention to? The actual deadline. And now, here we are, and my edit is due tomorrow. I am still wrestling with what I want to write but the situation basically picked my next edit topic for me. Lesson learned: being hyper-focused isn’t always the flex we think it is.
And if you work in towing, you already know this truth better than most.
Recovery Reality Check
On the side of the road, hyper-focus can feel heroic. You’ve got a tractor-trailer on its side, traffic piling up, and everyone is watching your every move. You dial in so hard on the recovery (chains, rigging, angles) that you do not notice the driver standing too close, or that traffic control is not set up quite right. That blind spot? That is where accidents sneak in. And unlike a missed deadline, those mistakes can cost more than just a little embarrassment.
Operations Perspective
Owners and managers are not immune either. Get tunnel-vision on landing a shiny municipal contract, and suddenly maintenance gets overlooked, drivers feel forgotten, and the budget starts leaking faster than a blown hydraulic line. You might win the contract, but you will lose ground everywhere else. I have recently been experiencing issues with my dumpster company. They are contracted to provide weekly pickups, but that consistency has not been happening. At my ice cream shoppe, timely service is especially important, particularly during the summer months when temperatures climb into the 90s with high humidity. Overflowing dumpsters in that heat are not only unpleasant for our team but also create a poor experience for our customers.
My vendor has been buying up smaller companies, and in the process, their customer service and quality control have slipped. While I understand the challenges of expansion, but this hyper focus has created issues; frequent service lapses like this are not good business, especially for small businesses like mine that depend on reliable, routine service.
And let’s be real: chasing the “latest and greatest” recovery unit is fun, it is like Christmas morning for tow bosses. But if all your focus is on the big, flashy purchase, you might miss the not-so-sexy stuff like insurance renewals, compliance paperwork, or the small print in your financials. And trust me, those details always come back to bite when ignored.
Dispatch Drama
Dispatch is where hyper-focus can really cause chaos. Picture this: a dispatcher juggling a major highway wreck with multiple agencies. They are so locked in on that one call, the smaller jobs like simple tows and jumpstarts start piling up. Customers wait. Reputation tanks. All because focus turned into fixation.
Or the classic case: a dispatcher determined to make routing “perfect.” They are so busy drawing lines on the map that a stranded customer is still waiting, a driver’s twiddling their thumbs, and a police call is about to roll over to another company. Perfect routing? Cute. But useless if it stalls the whole shift.
The Balancing Act
Here’s the deal: hyper-focus should be a spotlight, not a blindfold. It is powerful when you need it, but dangerous when it blinds you to the bigger picture. The best in this industry know when to zero in and when to zoom out.
So yes, focus hard when it counts, but do not let it cost you safety, customers, or credibility. In towing, and in life, it is not about being glued to one task, it is about seeing the whole road ahead.
