[February 25, 2016] The electronic age is here and with all the advantages it brings, also comes distractions. On an airport television monitor yesterday I saw a commercial that went something like this … man with new girlfriend introduces her to his friends … without looking up from their smart phones, one friend says “hi” but gets her name wrong … other friend says nothing. But the bigger question is, “can leaders also be distracted?”
The answer to those questions is obvious; everyone is subject to being distracted and distracted in many ways. It could be our favorite sports team on the radio, a game, email, or even a pretty face. Anything that impairs our ability to focus and get the job done is a distraction and to fix the problem requires us to first recognize it and then do something. Furthermore, it’s the duty of leaders to act to reduce distractions.
Here are some leader techniques they teach us in the U.S. military:
- Block off time for specific activities: it’s recommended that the day be divided into at least three parts … administrative actions (email, writing, reading, paperwork), visiting soldiers and locations (to get ground truth), and operations (planning with staff, briefings of officials). We call this time management and a lot is written about it.
- Identify your most productive time and put important activities there: one thing we know is that humans are usually most productive in the morning hours, so it’s best to have important leader time in the window of high productivity. It also helps if when you prioritize those efforts.
- Identify common distractions and attempt to isolate their effects on you: by knowing what distracts you, many can be removed from your environment or prevented from developing. People who assist the leader can also help if they know what to look for.
- Get into good physical shape, get plenty of rest, eat right, and avoid alcohol: we are less productive when tired and although a lack of sleep is sometimes unavoidable, ensure you take appropriate care of your mental and physical well-being.
- Train yourself to stay focused: do this by adding a little more focused effort each day to gain confidence and capability. Taking short breaks also helps. The more we’re able to avoid distractions, the better we prepare our brain.
- Don’t be discouraged by setbacks: it’s to be expected that we will lose focus and be thrown off our game at times. Don’t worry about it because it’s going to happen. Learn and move on.
- Keep yourself highly organized and your work area clean: nothing is more frustrating that being unable to find something you had at your fingertips just moments ago. Keep stuff in its place and avoid clutter.
Leaders are just as likely, some say more likely, to be exposed to distractions. What separates the best leaders from all the others is being able to avoid them when possible, otherwise push them aside. Great leaders recognize what distractions do to them and they intentionally take action to minimize the effects.
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