Focused Leadership and the Triad of Awareness

In his seminal 2013 piece for Harvard Business Review, Dr. Daniel Goleman, a pioneer in the study of emotional intelligence, explains that effective leadership relies on three key areas of focus — or what he calls "the triad of awareness."

As Goleman explains, the primary task of leaders is to capably influence and direct the attention of their teams. But to do that successfully, they must first learn to master the skill of focusing their own attention?on:?

• ???The self
• ???Others?
• ???The outside world?

???Focus on the self?

Leaders who heed their inner voices draw on more resources to make better decisions and connect with their authentic selves. “Cognitive control” is the scientific term for putting your attention where you want it and keeping it there in the face of temptation to wander.?Cognitive control enables you to pursue a goal despite distractions and setbacks. The same neural circuitry that allows such a single-minded pursuit of goals also manages unruly emotions. Effective cognitive control can be seen in people who stay calm in a crisis and tame their own agitation.

???Focus on others

People who effectively focus on others are easy to recognize. They emerge as natural leaders regardless of organizational or social rank. Empathy is the foundation of focus on others. There are three types:?

1. Cognitive empathy:?The ability to understand another person’s perspective.
2. Emotional empathy:?The ability to feel what someone else feels.
3. Empathic concern:?The ability to sense what another person needs from you.

???Focus on the outside world

Leaders with a strong outward focus are not only good listeners but good questioners. They’re visionaries who can sense the far-flung consequences of local decisions and imagine how the choices they make?today?will play out in the future. To sustain outward focus that leads to innovation, we need uninterrupted time?to reflect and refresh our focus on the outside forces that shape our lives.

Conclusion

A focused leader isn’t the person concentrating on the three most important priorities of the year, or the most brilliant systems thinker. Focused leaders command the full range of their own attention: They’re in touch with their inner feelings, empathize with their teams, and navigate the world with an open awareness of new ideas and opportunities.?Focus is the basis of leadership, and all three forms can be strengthened with practice. Learn to master your focus and you’ll be in greater command of yourself and your team.

For more insights like these, get the Knowable app and join 40,000+ founders, creators, and everyday go-getters building new skills and fueling their ambitions with daily audio lessons on business, startups, self-improvement, and more. Find it in the?App Store?and on?Google Play.