The Power of Focus: Hard but not impossible!
- Dave Bolt
- May 18
- 3 min read
By David Bolt, Founder of TenXed
A True Story: The Rooftop and the Impossible Shot
During the Vietnam War, U.S. Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock made a shot that became legend. While deep behind enemy lines, Hathcock moved cautiously, knowing the slightest mistake could be fatal. Suddenly, he caught a faint glint of light—a tiny reflection from an enemy sniper’s scope aimed directly at him.
In that life-or-death moment, Hathcock’s training and calm focus took over. With perfect control, he steadied his rifle, aimed directly at the glimmering dot, and squeezed the trigger.
The bullet travelled with flawless precision—straight through the enemy’s scope and into the sniper’s eye.
Military experts later confirmed the near impossibility of the shot, calculating that everything had to align perfectly for it to succeed. Yet, in the face of certain death, Hathcock’s unwavering focus and skill turned a hopeless situation into a legendary victory.
One shot. One impossible target. Mission complete.
From Diffusion and Confusion to Laser-Focused Leader: Why Every Charity Must Define Its True Mission
In the not-for-profit world, it’s easy to confuse busyness with effectiveness. You’re constantly pulled in a dozen directions—responding to urgent community needs, managing limited resources, and trying to keep programs afloat.
But ask yourself:
Are you leading with laser-focused clarity, or are you operating from a place of diffusion and confusion?
The High Cost of Diffusion
When your mission isn’t crystal clear, three things happen:
Resources Are Wasted – Time, money, and people are poured into programs that don’t serve the true mission.
Teams Become Disengaged – Without clarity, your people don’t know what success looks like.
Donors Walk Away – If you can’t articulate exactly what you stand for, why should they stand with you?
At TenXed, we believe clarity isn’t a luxury—it’s a leadership responsibility.
This is the power of laser focus. While diffused light allows you to vaguely see the world around you, a focused beam can cut through steel. That same focused light, when turned into a laser sight, shows exactly where the next move needs to be made—even from a great distance.
Leadership works the same way.
A scattered leader reacts to every noise in the night.
A laser-focused leader waits, watches, and moves only when the mission calls for it—hitting the target with precision every time.
The TenXed Vision Framework: SCOPE
S – Set the Target: Clarify exactly what success looks like. Without a clear target, your organisation will drift instead of advance.
C – Cut Through the Fog: Identify and remove the distractions clouding your team’s vision. Leadership demands ruthless focus.
O – Own the Mission: Stand firm under pressure. Leaders don’t flinch when the stakes are high—they hold their ground and stay mission-true.
P – Pull the Trigger: Take decisive action at the critical moment. Analysis paralysis kills momentum; leaders execute when it counts.
E – Engage Relentlessly: Keep the mission alive through consistent, powerful communication. One message, repeated with conviction, moves people to action.
So, Leader…
Are you lost in the fog, or are you quietly lining up the shot that will change everything?
Because when the moment comes—and it will—
The future won’t belong to the busiest.
It won’t belong to the loudest.
It will belong to the one who takes the shot.
Steady your hands. Breathe deep. Focus. And when it’s time… don’t miss.
Dave Bolt
Live. Love. Create.
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