It’s easy to be so open that we lose focus on what matters. Our life and work are full of constant distractions, and for many of us it’s easy to quickly get off course. In fact, my wife and I often tease about our house being an A.D.D factory.

The truth is I am no better at work. In the early 2000s Fortune Magazine had an article titled Diagnoses: Executive ADD, and my team made a large poster of the issue's cover and placed my face under the title. To add to that, the wisest people in our office would turn my monitor against the wall for our update meetings to keep me from being distracted. For some of us, losing focus is easier than others!

It’s easy to see how being distracted and losing focus keeps us from doing our best at work, but it’s just as easy to be so focused that we lose sight of what we need to complete the mission we have been given. Wars in the office and abroad can be fought needlessly without openness to new information. Athletes can focus too much on one part of training and hurt their overall performance. At work we can be so caught up in a temporary goal that we are thrown off track from the ultimate mission.

Not Opposites

Focus and openness seem like opposites, but both are needed to complete the mission of a leader. Focus applied in its purest form utilizes openness to ideas, means, methods, and the changing needs of people. Openness based in truth and experience increases focus as ideas, means, and methods are applied to the needs of people.

Focus To Help Others

In the article 7 Ways Managers Can Help Their Team Focus, by David Allen and Justin Hale in Harvard Business Review, the authors point out an alarming behavior, “60.6% of employees admit that they rarely or never do even an hour or two of deep, focused work each day without distraction.” Here are the major takeaways from the seven ways leaders can help others and help themselves.

1. Inventory tasks and projects — keep a current to-do list and take time each week to do a full review of all commitments.  

2. Clarify and curate communication channels —  use communication channels and clarify what each channel should be used for and the expectations around response times.

3. Normalize saying no — communicate your bandwidth set expectations. Say no tasks not relevant to your most important work. Reward others for doing the same.

4. Make meetings meaningful — when setting meetings, have a clear purpose and agenda. Decline meetings without clear agendas related to your most important work. Reward others for doing the same.

5. Enable purposeful productivity —  stop rewarding busyness and start recognizing effort toward the most important work.

6. Formalize focus — schedule the most important work. Block your calendar to get larger projects completed, just like you block for meetings with others. To get an important project done may be the best thing you can do for the team.

7. Respect boundaries — when people say they’re in focused work mode as indicated by their status on team chat tools or their calendar, honor it. They will do the same for you.

Openness For Collaboration

In the article Becoming More Collaborative — When You Like to Be in Control, by Jenny Fernandez and Luis Velasquez, in Harvard Business Review. The author’s talk about leaders who are so used to being in charge they fail to listen and take important input from others. They explain why a closed, self directed style of leadership is no longer relevant. “Their previously successful decisive, command-and-control-leadership style is no longer a viable option. And unless they pivot their decision-making style and reposition themselves as open-minded, collaborative leaders, they might be putting their future success on the line. Thus, the overconfident, decisive leader must go through a mindset change.” Armed with humility and mental shift, the authors’ advice is summarized in 3 action steps.

1. Seek different perspectives — drawing information from all sources, inputs and options will bring better information. Reflect and take time to consider all options.

2. Change your position into an option — don’t declare what you don’t know to be certain. It squashes creativity and input. Instead say, “I could be wrong.” This leads to confrontations and a winner-takes-all attitude.

3. Engage your team in the process — learning to nurture, empower, and engage your team is essential, especially when it comes to decision-making. Build a level of trust and accountability that will enable others to help you make the right decisions.

Not A Balancing Act

Focus should not come at the cost of being open to the input from the right sources. The Harvard articles demonstrate how these two skills are not opposed but should both be used together.

Even more importantly, leaders should understand that the goal is not to balance being focused and open minded. Attempting to balance the two can cause leaders or be open where they should be focused and closed off where they should be open. The key to great leadership is staying on the mission that matters most and staying open to inputs from all directions for deeper understanding of truth and for how to apply means and methods to best serve others.  

Our Mission Has A Center To Keep Us Focused

Those who follow Jesus have a distinct advantage for focus because we have the most compelling and meaningful mission in the history of the world — to make disciples in service to our King. Our mission comes with peace, purpose, and power — see How Do I Get Unstuck And Move Forward With Purpose. The Apostle Paul encouraged his protege Timothy with these perfect words to keep him focused on the mission he had been given.

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” – 2 Timothy 2:1-7

Our Center is Jesus — our daily life should not be a distraction regarding the source of our life or the purpose of our work. Instead, our mission should be accomplished as we go about our daily life and work. Jesus has given us everything we need for the mission he has given us. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

Our Model is Jesus — our suffering should not be a distraction from our mission. Our suffering is actually a means of grace to love others. Jesus is clear about His followers and laborers suffering with Him to achieve the mission. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” – Romans 8:17

Our Victory is Jesus — our need to get ahead should not be a distraction from our mission. We are involved in worldly affairs in our work, but we should not be entangled by our work. Instead, work is a place to accomplish the mission. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17

We Have The Source For Openness

Those who follow Jesus have a distinct advantage for openness because we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Apostle Paul prays perfectly for followers of Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit to know Christ better — to have the eyes of their hearts enlightened.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” – Ephesians 1:17-18

This prayer, for all who follow Jesus, is encouragement in order to keep us focused on our mission to make disciples, while opening our hearts to receive the hope we need to power us until we reach our glorious inheritance!

Resources

HBR, 7 Ways Managers Can Help Their Team Focus

HBR, Becoming More Collaborative — When You Like to Be in Control