Why Attentiveness Is Important For A Leader? - FocusU

Why Attentiveness Is Important For A Leader?

Leader Using Binoculars

Paying attention in class is what I have been repeatedly asked to do during my school days. Our teachers used to ask us to pay attention to the task at hand instead of being focused on doing many things at one time. I realized the power of paying attention only after experiencing the benefits of this in my work and personal life. What it means for you is that if you practice the art of paying attention, you can drastically change the quality of your results professionally and personally.

“Developing the Attention muscle is just like developing any other muscle.”

When you exercise the muscle it begins to grow and you start to see the results. Here are the five ways you can pay attention and can get some surprising results –

    1. Please pay attention because I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for youPay Attention To Your Surroundings:
      Business leaders can’t afford to miss out on changes happening around their business (political, economic, social, cultural, legal changes). Hindustan Motors, Nokia, and Kodak are a few examples of companies that failed to pay attention to the market changes. When you pay attention to your surroundings you begin to anticipate changes and take corrective actions so that you stay on the path of sustainable growth.
    2. Pay Attention To Your Customers:
      Someone calling themselves a customer says they want something called serviceThe book What the Customer Wants You to Know, by Ram Charan, gives insightful details on why you must pay attention to how your customers run their business. This helps you focus on the customer’s problems and resolutions instead of you focusing on hard selling your products to anyone and everyone. Paying attention can help you target the right customers and bring in powerful sales results.

 

  1. Pay Attention To Your Employees:
    When was the last time you sat with one of your employees and asked them about how the business is going. In the book Nuts by Kevin Freiberg, the author shares useful information on how Southwest Airlines became a roaring success. Freiberg mentions how Herb Kelleher, former CEO of Southwest would meet employees across the organization to know their challenges and figure out solutions to the toughest problems. Sometimes the best solutions are already with your employees; ask them by paying attention.
  2. Knowing your family so well you can tell who's coming down the stairs by the sound of their footstepsPay Attention To Your Family:
    Leadership is not just about getting results professionally, but it is also about how well you are living personally. There is no point in experiencing growth in business and loss in relationships. The reason why some leaders fail to pay attention to their personal lives is because it is easy to forget to pay attention. The good news is that leadership is not what you assume at the workplace, you take it home and live it every waking moment. Pay attention to your relationship with your spouse, parents, friends, and neighbors. Paying attentions helps you appreciate how people contribute to your success.
  3. Pay Attention To Your Health:
    What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a dayA healthy mind dwells in a healthy body. Are you waiting for a doctor’s prognosis to make the right changes in your lifestyle? “Make exceptional health your number one priority,” says Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Get a full body medical check-up done, and know the vital parameters of your health – blood pressure, sugar, hemoglobin, RBC count etc. (consult a doctor if need be). Just like an organization that has several metrics to gauge its progress, similarly there are basic health parameters that will let you know how healthy your body is.
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When you begin paying attention, you can’t help but transform your life for the better. By paying attention to just five of the aforementioned aspects of your work-life you can significantly enhance the quality of your overall life. We would be excited to take up leadership keynote sessions that create lasting changes in people’s mindset by sharing powerful insights on business success and personal change. Write to us to know more about our latest leadership offerings.

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