Mastering Attention

Your Secret Weapon in a Distracted World
September 24, 2024 by
Mastering Attention
Micro Mutiny Inc., Tera Warner


From outside my window, I've been listening to men haul, saw, hammer, and nail construction materials. I hear them laugh and see them move with focus. They're building a deck, and they're doing it well. If any of them got distracted or tried to multitask, accidents would likely follow.

When I compare that to my profession—and others like it—where we build our products by hammering away at keyboards and "nailing" projects across dashboards of shifting screens, it's easier to get distracted and pretend you can multitask without causing harm.

But it's not true.

Any task that requires production and communication demands attention be sharp and focused for it to go well.

You can tell when someone's looking at you but not really interested in what you're saying. You can sense when someone is physically present but mentally elsewhere. 

A group of focused construction workers building a deck, illustrating the importance of attention and undistracted effort in delivering high-quality results.

When your team members are spending hours behind laptops, you can tell if their attention is splattered in different directions because it shows in how they communicate and in the quality of what they get done.

The Link Between Productivity and Morale

Assuming you chose your team members wisely, there are reasons attention wanes:

  • Bodies need good food, fresh air, exercise and 7-10 hours of sleep a night just to run well.
  • People have different goals, expectations, preferred methods of communication and processing speeds.
  • They respond to pressure and emotion differently and have their own challenges to face at home.

Whatever the reason, pressure and confusion lead to distraction, disinterest and dispersed attention. You'll have bigger problems than bent nails or loose deck boards unless you catch it fast. No business or group can afford to lose control of high quality attention–it's the horsepower that drives an organization and without it you'll get frustration, confusion, and lowered morale.

That’s a word worth clarifying: morale.

Confidence. Enthusiasm. Discipline.

These are the pillars of a motivated and high-spirited team.  Use them as a guide post. When you spot low confidence, dwindling motivation, or see evidence of poor control of time, communication, or materials, know you’re headed down a slippery slope. Best to take action fast to turn things around.

Leading by Example

If you want your team to show up, lead by example. There's nothing quite like a mother yelling at her kids to clean up while her own bed remains unmade and the sink is full of dirty dishes. You won't be able to spot distraction in your team if your own attention is buttered across social media or the latest news headlines.

Set clear boundaries for your own distractions. Show up focused when it's time to get things done and be fully present to make sure they get done well. Stiffen self-discipline and notice who steps up naturally to join you. The winds of increased focus and productivity tend to blow into the sails of others and things will start to improve effortlessly.


Make Sure People Know Their Jobs

In a previous blog, I shared various HR tools to help you bring on new team members with confidence. Assuming you have a team you can trust, now’s the time to show up and keep them feeling confident and inspired. That requires clear job descriptions and an organizing structure that shows who does what and how everyone is connected. 

You have a responsibility to provide structure and clearly define roles before you can expect things to work smoothly. You can’t fix confusion in your team if you’re the source of it.



"People don’t care how much you know 
until they know how much you care."


John C. Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership 



Ensuring Competence

Once your attention is in check, you know who’s on your team and their roles are clear, you need to make sure they know how to do what’s expected of them clearly. Everyone brings certain skills and experience to the table, but never rely on resumes or acronyms to confirm competence. 

Observation always speaks louder than words.

When people know their jobs and do their jobs, the results speak for themselves. Ensure clear and specific instructions on how to do what’s required have been created. If you’ve been reading our strategic planning and HR blogs, it’s clear we have very specific procedures for what we do. 

As much as possible we ensure every aspect of our production has a clear system for people to follow. At the beginning this ensures our team members feel oriented and supported in understanding what is expected. Over time, confidence allows them to bend the rules in the direction of more confidence and creativity.

Clarity, combined with responsibility, is what makes creativity possible.

A focused team engaged in a strategic discussion, symbolizing mastery of attention

Leave Room for Real Life

We’re human. We bleed, cry, lose our keys, and succumb to life’s realities—like gravity and cavities and gray hair. When people are focused and clear-headed, there’s less frustration and confusion, but it does still happen. 

Learning new things and expanding our horizons means being willing to confront new and different confusions. If your eyes are on the horizon, you know where you’re going. With a team you trust to communicate honestly what’s happening along the way, success is inevitable. A high-morale environment is yours for the long-haul.

Lead with Attention, Lift Above the Status Quo

In a digital age, where distractions are constant, your attention and determination to do something different is what lifts life up above the status quo.

Show up eyes bright, attention harnessed and ready for action because life just tastes better that way, and is a lot more fun!

Ready to start? Let’s chat about how we can help you get up and running with Odoo.


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