Watch out for Focus at all costs!

It may seem odd that as a coach I am going to advocate something that is "anti-focus" since a large part of what I do is actually that- helping clients focus on what is most important and of greatest value. But there is another side to this all and it is that of "over-focus", where the manager or business owner find themselves obsessively guiding and pontificating about "focus, focus, focus" at the expense of some other no less important points screaming for attention and "quality time"…Today's world which expects immediate ROI in the midst of attention deficit, hyper-connectedness and information overflow is endanger of "death by over-focus" as well…

Daniel Goleman, PhD, a leading author, psychologist and promoter of the term "emotional intelligence", has put out another book called "Focus- the hidden driver of excellence", in which he proposes that the leader today needs to focus on a "triple focus": inner (self), outer (system) and other (people).  Goleman: "Every organization needs people with a keen focus on goals that matter, the talent to continually learn how to do even better, and the ability to tune out distractions. Innovation, productivity, and growth depend on such high-performers.

But only to a point. Ambitious revenue targets or growth goals are not the only gauge of an organization’s health—and if they are achieved at a cost to other basics, the long-term downsides, like losing star employees, can outweigh short-term successes as those costs lead to later failures.

When we’re fixated on a goal, whatever is relevant to that point of focus gets priority. Focus is not just selecting the right thing but also saying no to the wrong ones; focus goes too far when it says no to the right things, too. Single-pointed fixation on a goal morphs into overachievement when the category of “distractions” expands to include other people’s valid concerns, their smart ideas, and their crucial information. Not to mention their morale, loyalty, and motivation."

I have seen what Goleman is concerned about in my own work with managers and leaders and I think it all revolves around a lack of "human empathy" that abounds in our organizations. When leaders are hyper-focused on results- or "deliverables"- they often forget that they are there to lead people not just things. At times I have seen organizational cultures who praise the "goals, deliverables and profit" so much that they end up filtering out people who come up with creative ideas, alienating individuals whose best value is not always produced by "hyper-focus", or they may end up cheating and cutting corners and time and again seem to "forget promises".

If you are a manager or a leader please remember that you are there not ONLY to get results but no less to lead people over the long haul, to create an organization that is a place worthy of people spending a better part of their daily life, a place which achieves goals while acting ethically, respecting others and the environment.

We are in the year 2014--- wake up guys, there are people out there, how well have you seen and heard them?