Is Your Eye on the Ball?

I feel obligated to state this is not a partisan political post. I’m making an observation as a consultant.

I’ve always told my clients that their assets include potentially 100% of their people’s talents and energies while on the job. There is no such thing as “Give me 110%!” and the 100% can easily be undermined by internecine warfare, turf battles, politics, and so forth. Ideally, since you can’t eliminate all distractions, about 90% of the energy should successfully be directed to the client: products, services, and relationships. However, most companies manage far less than that, and if you announce a layoff the number is about 95% internal focus, 5% client focus.

It seems to me that the impeachment hearings are consuming about 95% of the government’s focus. Foreign relations, education reform,  infrastructure, trade, the economy, the next election, and so forth are receiving very little talent and energy. After all, we citizens are the “customers.” I’m making no judgment here on guilt or innocence of the impeachment charges, though it appears it’s impossible to generate a guilty verdict in the Senate, which sits as the jury.

Thus, I’m just wondering home much energy and talent is going to be left for the vital challenges facing the nation in the post-impeachment future. And will the Democrats, in particular, have enough of each to win a rapidly-approaching election?

This is simply the same question I’ve asked clients who take their eye off the true mission of their business.