🤔 Do I have your attention? Your full attention?
It’s likely I don’t, and that’s normal. There is a difference between awareness and attention. We have become accustomed to flicking through social media while thinking about what we’re doing another task. We talk to our family members while thinking about something that happened at work.
This means we are aware of what is going on around us but not giving it any or only little attention.
Attention is one of the four pillars of leadership in The Diamond Model of Shared Leadership along with direction, energy and congruence. It is part of a leadership formula that keeps us safe in our teams and organisations.
Providing attention to others is important, particularly as a leader if you want your colleagues and team members to feel valued and heard. Equally important is paying attention to the environment to be able to respond with agility to change.
I have my horses to remind me to focus my attention when it wanders. Because if my attention isn’t fully on them, they sense this and react accordingly – literally refusing to co-operate with me. And it’s pretty hard to ignore a half tonne being in your presence!
For those of us who don’t have a horse there to remind them to do this, we must find other ways to remind ourselves to be present and focus our attention on the task, and person, at hand.
Do you have any tips for giving people your full attention?
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