Leading with Focus Through Agility: Lessons from a Broken Neck
By Thomas E. O’Connor

Leadership lessons often come from boardrooms, books, or mentors. But one of the most powerful things I’ve ever learned came from flying over the handlebars of my dirt bike, crashing and resulting in a broken neck.

Just a few weeks ago, I was out leading a ride on the trails North of where I live in Divide, Colorado—something I’ve always loved for the adrenaline, scenery, and challenge. Every year, a good friend and firefighting buddy, John from Austin, Texas, comes to town, and we hit the trails.  That day, I was leading a specific trail ride for John, his teenage son Dalton, and another firefighter friend, Mike, through some fun and technical trails I knew well and rode often. For nearly 46 miles, I led the ride, focusing on other riders that may approach us, obstacles on the trail, or potentially hazardous washouts.  For nearly 2 hours, my focus was ensuring that I led a fun and safe ride for my friends.

As we approached the last 5 miles, I let John and Dalton take the lead on the final section of trail that led to the trailhead, where they had parked their truck and trailer.  As they led the ride, I followed and began to think about other things, such as planning to stop by my favorite brewery, Paradox, for a celebratory beer, what I was planning on making for dinner, and other life things.  I wasn’t focused on the ride and the responsibility of successfully finishing it.  Within 50 yards of the end of the ride, as my mind wandered on those other things, I crossed rutted in a bad section, lost control as the front end stuck in some mud, and I went up and over the handlebars.  I wrecked. Landed on my head.  I broke my neck. 

Lying in the rut, in pain and completely vulnerable, I had a flood of realizations—one of which has stayed with me every day since: focus isn’t optional. Whether on a trail or leading a business, it’s your lifeline.

What happened that day mirrors what I’ve seen many times in business leadership. When you’re moving fast, dealing with obstacles, and navigating unpredictable terrain, it’s easy to lose sight of your direction, vision, goals, objectives, outcomes and intent. You start reacting instead of responding. You make impulsive decisions. You tighten up when you should stay loose. That’s when crashes happen—strategic ones, team ones, personal ones.

Here are some important ways that I see organizations must focus on through Agile leadership: 

• Purposeful Action: Agile leadership requires a clear vision and purposeful action. Leaders must maintain focus on their goals while being flexible and adapting to changing circumstances to achieve those goals.
• Strategic Prioritization: Focus aids in concentrating on immediate priorities, preventing undue stress and enabling teams to tackle the most critical items first, especially in situations with competing demands.
• Effective Decision-Making: Focus helps teams in agile environments, particularly within Scrum, to navigate complexities, make informed decisions, and deliver value with precision. It allows for analysis of available information and taking small, deliberate steps forward, fostering a “learning by doing” approach.
• Commitment in Teams: In agile teams, focus is part of core values like those in Scrum (Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, Respect). This ensures that efforts are concentrated on what matters most, contributing to overall efficiency and effectiveness.
• Preventing Distraction: While agility embraces change, focus ensures that efforts are directed towards meaningful progress and that teams are not derailed by distractions that do not contribute to core objectives.
• Balanced Approach: It’s important to balance focus with curiosity and openness to what is happening around. This balancing act is crucial for building agility.

But here’s the twist: agility alone doesn’t save you. I was agile on my dirt bike. I could maneuver, adapt, and handle the speed, rocks, ruts, and the washouts. But without focus—without the presence of mind and clarity of intention—I still crashed.

This is why I believe in leading with focus through agility. It’s not about choosing between being flexible and being disciplined. It’s about mastering both. Focus gives your leadership meaning; agility keeps it moving.

In recovery, I had time to reflect deeply. I realized that in business, just like on the trail, conditions will always change. Plans will break. Priorities will change. Distractions and surprises will come. But if you stay anchored in your mission and give yourself and your team the freedom to adapt without drifting too much off course, that’s when great leadership shows up.

It’s a hard lesson I paid for in a broken C1 vertebrae that is now fused with C2.  I’m fortunate as I’m not paralyzed or worse. I’m on the mend, healing more each day.  As I lay in the hospital, I know why I wrecked.  I lost FOCUS…So here’s my challenge to fellow leaders: Know your trail. Stay present. Keep your FOCUS—and let agility carry you through the turns and obstacles for success.