Running a business requires you to focus on many different things at once. But as modern life has been designed to steal so much of our focus, how can we take back control of our awareness and put it to good use?
In his book
Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, author Daniel Goleman explores the different applications of focus, and how to use them to succeed in life and business. From intense focus on a task to viewing the bigger picture, he argues that where you direct your attention will dictate your success as a leader and a business owner.
Strengthen your willpower by doing what you love
With smart phones and social media all designed to distract our attention, it’s crucial to develop the willpower to resist these temptations and complete tasks.
It can sometimes feel like willpower simply isn’t your strong suit, but in fact it can be developed and strengthened with practise.
Meditation and mindfulness practice is one way to work on this daily.
In the book, Goleman also recommends following a passion that is in line with your values to make this easier to do. If you love your work, and feel genuinely invested in the results of what you do, it becomes much easier to focus on the task at hand.
So, if concentrating on your work feels like a chore, perhaps consider whether you’re working in line with your personal values. Rather than chasing someone else’s version of success, what would success look like to you?
The bigger picture is important too
Running a successful business isn’t just about ticking tasks off your to-do list. You also need to think about the bigger picture, or the context of the work you’re doing.
Goleman gives the example of
Blackberry, the mobile phone company that quickly nosedived in popularity when they failed to notice to market’s interest in touch-screen phones. While their products boasted longer battery life and keyboards, they hadn’t realised that consumers were more interested in high-tech features.
The challenge in this is that our brains are hard-wired to respond more urgently to imminent threats, deadlines, or problems. Anything that’s too far into the future or too far removed from our immediate vicinity is challenging to focus on. But it’s vital that we do, in order to avoid perpetuating problems.
Resolving a short-term challenge will only create short-term impacts. Soon enough, the problem will rear up again, sometimes even worse than before. So make sure you’re not pouring all of your focus on the here and now: step back and view the whole picture regularly too.
A great leader will focus on their team, not just themselves
In the book, Goleman explains the importance of empathy, and how focusing on this turns a business owner into an inspiring leader.
If you can empathise with your employees and work hard to help them get results, your business, your team, and your community all benefit. This is because you’ll build a team that respects one another and is united by a common goal. You’ll also be able to effectively direct the focus of your organisation on whatever is most beneficial to every stakeholder.
The key to doing this is to develop strong self-awareness. Understanding what your own strengths are will allow you to play to those. Delegating the things you’re not so good at will allow your team to support you in achieving your goals and targets more effectively.
Sometimes, allowing your focus to wander is best
Open awareness is described in the book as the process of allowing your mind to wander. While it’s important to be able to reign in your attention and focus on a task, open awareness also has its benefits.
These moments of daydreaming and relaxation make it easier to be creative and to reflect. Studies have shown that open awareness leads to significantly more new ideas and originality than more fixed focus. It’s easy to see how allowing yourself this freedom to daydream could lead to exciting innovation in business.
There are as many ways to focus as there are tasks to complete when it comes to running a business
. If we are to achieve excellence in all areas of our lives, it’s vital we pay attention to the right things. Having the willpower to focus on one task at a time is just as important as stepping back and seeing the bigger picture. But sometimes, not focusing at all is the best course of action.
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