A Masterclass in Strategic Focus from a Great White Shark

I have spent months filming great white sharks hunting seals in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.

Only once did we succeed in capturing a kill from a drone.

For hours on end, the shark’s behaviour appeared aimless

Just swimming slowly, often far from the seals, waiting, observing, circling.

It wasn’t a lack of clarity
It wasn’t laziness.
It was strategy.

The shark wasn’t interested in chasing every seal that swam past. That would waste precious energy and almost always end in failure. Instead, it waited for the perfect moment—the exact alignment of light, relative position, and opportunity.

And when that moment came?

One strike. Decisive. Unstoppable. A seal bitten in half with one bite

That’s the beauty of strategic focus.

Too often in business and in life, we operate tactically
Reacting. Chasing. Saying yes to everything.

Burning through our energy on tasks and people that drain us with little or no return

But a clear strategic focus changes everything.

• It tells you which opportunities/distractions to ignore.

• It stops you wasting energy on opportunities where the odds aren’t in your favour.

• It keeps you focused, so when the right moment comes, your action is primed, precise, and appropriate

Strategic focus ensures that your actions — even if few — have maximum effect.

The great white shark embodies this truth.

Don’t spend your energy chasing every seal.

Define your strategy. Work within its focus.

Then execute when the conditions align.

That’s how you stack the odds in your favour — underwater, in business, and in life.

Where in your life are you chasing every seal instead of waiting for the right one?