Monomaniacal

I give Aaron Fossas on our ADDO team a hard time (regularly) about getting obsessed with certain strategies, terms, or phrases.

If something works, Aaron doesn’t just use it, he obsesses over it. He’ll repeat it, refine it, and push it until it either breaks or becomes a core principle.

One word he brings up a lot?

Monomaniacal.

And I have to admit, it’s growing on me.

Monomaniacal means having an almost obsessive focus on a single idea, goal, or pursuit. Not distracted focus. Not casual interest. Relentless, intentional concentration.

The kind of focus where you’re willing to say no to good ideas in service of the one that actually matters.

That level of focus represents clarity.
It represents conviction.
And it usually represents uncomfortable discipline.

A great example is Todd Graves, the founder of Raising Cane’s, which he talked about on the Founders podcast. The man built a multi-billion-dollar business by being obsessed with… chicken fingers.

Not burgers.
Not breakfast.
Not salads.
Not seasonal experiments.

Chicken fingers.

As someone with a pretty simple palate, I can appreciate that kind of commitment.
He didn’t try to be everything. He tried to be the best at one thing.

That monomaniacal focus shows up over and over again in great businesses and leaders:

• Steve Jobs was obsessed with simplicity and user experience
• Jeff Bezos was monomaniacal about the customer
• Nike focused relentlessly on athletes and performance
• In-N-Out refused to expand the menu and doubled down on quality and consistency

None of these were accidents. They were choices.

And this is where people often get it wrong:

Simple doesn’t mean dumbed down.
Simple means focused.
Simple means prioritized.
Simple means you’ve done the hard work of deciding what actually matters and letting the rest go.

So yeah, I might still give Aaron a hard time about his favorite buzzwords.

But if being monomaniacal leads to clarity, excellence, and results?

I’m starting to think he might be onto something.