When I was a kid, my dad was constantly telling me to watch where I was going. I was always too focused on what was right in front of me. Clueless of my surroundings and what was up ahead I would Inevitably bump into someone, knock over a display, or trip over something and fall down. What’s funny is I can hear him barking at me when I’m saying the exact same things to my girls.

“Hey, hey, watch were you’re going, you’re going to bump into someone or knock something over. Come on now, pay attention!”

There is a lesson here for companies. Far too often companies keep their heads down, too focused on what they are doing they aren’t watching where they are going. It’s too easy to keep your head down and most companies do. Things have to get done, tasks need to be completed, revenue needs to be had. It’s too easy to get caught up in the now. Focused on where they are most companies are oblivious. Plodding along, with little mind to where they are going. Like me when I was a kid, and like my girls today, they don’t realize they don’t know where they’re going until BAM! . . . they bump into something.

When a company bumps into something they do more than step on an adults toes or knock over a display. They lose ground to a competitor. They miss a shift in the market. They launch a poor product. They lose a big customer. Their best employees move one. When a company doesn’t look where they are going bad things happen.

Watch where you are going before you bump into something.