Parent Post
An overly intense focus
An overly intense focus on a goal can lead to goal neglect.
When leaders micromanage employees, an intense focus on task performance distracts those leaders from the larger goals of the company.
They obsess over the trees and neglect the forest—and drive employees crazy while they’re at it.
If you try the
If you try the river of thought, you’re likely to find that watching your mind wander without engaging is easier said than done.
But learning to be more conscious of where you are directing your attention seems well worth the effort.
Really exceptional leaders are aware of where their mind is moment by moment, and that means they know when they are vulnerable.
Where you direct your
Where you direct your focus is a function of the brain’s attention system which has three subsystems:
- The flashlight (orienting system) enables you to selectively direct and concentrate your attention.
- The floodlight (alerting system) enables you to take in the larger picture.
- The juggler (executive function) enables you to align your actions to your aims.
What happens with goal neglect is that the flashlight is pointed very intently, but the floodlight is not quite working.
How do you become
How do you become aware of your awareness?
We can become aware of where our mind is, but oftentimes it’s triggered by external things.
Elicit that checking-in quality in our mind with more regularity.
Regularly checking in on where our attention is focused isn’t a default state for most of us. It’s going to require some training.
Leaders don’t want to have to make mistakes to align their focus. Instead, they engage in mental practices that train them to watch their minds, moment by moment.
There is nothing inherently
There is nothing inherently wrong with using the flashlight or the floodlight—leaders need both.
In both cases, we are paying attention.
But our attention is too narrow or too wide, too stable or too unstable.
You’re paying attention in some way successfully—but it’s not appropriate for the moment.
This cognitive error arises from using the flashlight or the floodlight in an unconscious way.
The river of thoughtImagine
The river of thought
Imagine sitting on a riverbank on a big sturdy boulder and watching the contents of your conscious experience flow by as if it were the water itself.
Like many mindfulness exercises, the river of thought feels at odds with the decisive, action-driven orientation often ascribed to great leaders.
It’s very rare that we experience something as neutral observers. We usually have a story or an opinion about it. That can serve leaders poorly.
The feeling of intense
The feeling of intense focus—of being fully and productively engrossed in a task—is a good indicator that it is time to take a step back and assess if your attention is properly directed.
Even better, and more proactively, you can hone your meta-awareness.
Meta-awareness is the simultaneous
Meta-awareness is the simultaneous awareness of your focus in the present moment and of the limits of that focus. It is internal situational awareness.
It allows us to more fully understand where we sit within the situation. It is like the firefighter’s consciousness where his attention is directed at the moment, which enables an awareness of what he might be missing.
