Building your own focus

A big part of being a CEO, executive or team leader has to do with how well you manage the psychology of the job.  Psychological resilience, durability, empathy, clarity are critical if you are going to try to keep important goals in focus and get an organization of humans to do the right things.  

For me, the struggle was always to get perspective on the constant stream of ruminating concerns coursing through my brain - some of which are useful and necessary, but most of which are not.

I think there are habits that can train your brain to be better; habits that build focus. This means dealing with both the rational part of your mind - where your internal dialogue happens - and the limbic part of your mind - where emotion and decision making generally sit.  

Here are three habits that I like:

1 - Engage in activities that force you to detach and deal in the present i.e. activities that demand a natural focus.  For me, these include things like working on my car, playing drums (something I have been doing since I was a kid) and muay thai.  Meditation is a huge help too, but I admit I struggle with this. Leaders I know also effectively use golf, coding, carpentry, hiking, singing, swimming … the list goes on. These activities are enjoyable, so they feel like we are goofing off; and that makes it hard for some of us to hit pause long enough to engage in them. Try to think about it as focus-building therapy, as part of your investment in your work and who you need to be. 

2 - Manage how often you engage your feeds.  Most of us spend time refining our feeds to suit our needs and interests, but I also think we need to engage them less frequently than we are led to believe.  The world will fight you on this.  Attention is the new currency and content production machines have been in full swing for years generating and delivering material designed to keep you glued 24/7.  A lot of it masquerades as must-have, real-time information critical to your survival. I don’t think it is. A few months ago, I moved the majority of my news/social consumption to Friday mornings.  After a few weeks, I did not feel I was missing out on anything. In fact I found  that most important things happening in the world, only generated real, new information on about a weekly basis anyway.  The stuff in between was mostly speculation and conjecture and consuming it didn’t help me. In fact, it was clogging up my ability to think and it was emotionally exhausting.  Once I made this change, I felt I had a lot more room in my brain.  For the record, it’s not easy to avoid reaching for your phone and checking for news to fill gaps in your day.  In fact I had to physically distance myself from my IOS devices for hours at a time; especially when I might be waiting for some time or standing in lines etc. My hack was to rely on my Apple Watch. I could leave my phone in my desk drawer, and still be reached by voice or text if need be. The Apple Watch is great, but consuming news or social feeds on it is not practical, so the form factor was a perfect barrier. 

3 - Be kind, be patient but learn how to slip past those people who want to drag you into their personal hells.  Some folks can’t resist loading you up with the newest things they are worried about. They are the subtle harbingers of doom, the perennial half empty glass, the voice that likes to remind you there is a downside to everything and it’s about to happen. These are not bad people; they simply have difficulty navigating on their own and want you to join them in whatever pit they just fell into. Humans have a unique skill in distracting each other. People, especially those close to you, can plug into your emotional mind and your rational brain simultaneously.  It’s hard not to be affected and allow their concerns to infect the prioritization of your own.  If these people are in your life and can’t be avoided, all I can suggest is try to have structured conversations with them - decide ahead of time what you want to talk about and let them specifically know what you are hoping to get out of the exchange.  I know this might sound mechanical, particularly if it’s a family member as opposed to a colleague. People are challenging. 

Focus-building isn't about ignoring the world, but rather about getting your brain to a place where you can be more effective in doing the things you need to do. 

A legend begun in the Medieval Ages tells of how Archimedes used mirrors to focus sunlight as a defensive weapon during the siege of Syracuse, then a Greek colony on the island of Sicily, from 214 to 212 B.C.