"If attention is the currency of leadership, time is the investment" Mitzi Wyman

So often we find ourselves rushing from one thing to another that we barely have time to draw breath, let alone think. This stretching of our attention is exacerbated by an “always-on” culture that means nothing ever feels complete. It’s grindingly hard, stressful and over time isn’t sustainable. Occasionally it’s exhilarating which is why we continue to work this way – it can make us feel important, relevant, significant even, but how long till we find ourselves running on empty, all the while fretting about that something someone said we should have been paying attention to?

Over the past three years I've had the opportunity to work with a number of organisations exploring ways they can move away from the tyranny of such conditions to places where people can think well together, for themselves, and be even more effective - what has made the difference is the quality of attention.

An organisational culture where we rarely give quality attention to one another inhibits and diminishes the quality of our thinking. In the rush to tell someone what we already know, we fail to hear what it is they have to say and the opportunity for fresh thinking is lost: we don’t listen, we simply reload. This results in an addiction to certainty and a focus on the short -term, which keeps us locked in cycles of activity that simply rehash the past.

We think we have this handled as we set aside whole workshops for ‘creative thinking’ – brainstorming sessions, deep dives, hackathons. But in these spaces only some get to play and will most likely exclude 90% of the workforce, setting up the expectation that the best ideas can come only from certain people. This approach doesn’t reflect the diversity and divergent thinking of the workforce, or society.

"Generative attention", on the other hand, listening that demonstrates genuine interest in where another person will go next in their thinking, allows for truly fresh thinking to evolve. It means cultivating ease, at every level of the organisation, and taking the time to listen to the person in front of you in the room that you’re in.

Giving respectful attention creates a culture where each person is welcome, appreciated and encouraged to contribute: most importantly, it ignites thinking. The result: a powerhouse of fresh, divergent ideas leading to enhanced performance and positive, sustainable change. Whilst this sounds simple it isn’t necessarily easy, so re-wired are we to interrupt, rush, tailgate and push through an agenda.

The use of tools that enhance listening more deeply, to understand more fully, an "other"'s point of view, is crucial. It also requires that we develop the skills of asking great questions that allow us to move past the blocks and assumptions that keep us trapped in old ways of thinking. This requires practice in the crafting of incisive questions and to this end, we commend the pioneering work of Nancy Kline, whose Thinking Environment approach introduces behaviours that create the space for thinking to truly evolve.

Initially leaders have expressed concern about the time this approach will take. I have reassured them that the investment of time will pay dividends as people simply think better. and this has proved to be true over time as decisions are more thought through, mistakes are minimised and the level of engagement increases dramatically. Also, when leaders model such behaviour, demonstrating respect for their colleagues, clients and wider stakeholders, they free those who look to them to do the same.

If you want to unleash the talent and ignite fresh thinking in your organisation, email me today at [email protected] or call me on 0781 807 1314 - I look forward to hearing from you!