Click here to play the Mind Balance game.
Focus on the middle letter of five to get the answer right.
How did it go? The Mind Balance game is a test of one of the most foundational leadership skills â attentional control. Attentional control is the ability to resist distractors and ignore interference to concentrate on whatâs important. It regulates cognitive, emotional, and behavioral choices.
Attentional control has become increasingly important for leaders bombarded by a wealth of information from the digital world. âA wealth of information creates a poverty of attention,â decision-making expert Herbert Simon pointed out in 1971.
At the same time, information abounds, and our jobs are becoming more diverse and heterogeneous. As leaders, we need to switch focus more often which may distract us from deep thought. On top of that, we need to navigate complexity as todayâs business environment increasingly involves ambiguous and novel problems with no clear solution.
Without attentional control, we as leaders may be prone to letting our emotions take over and making rash decisions. We may also fail to fully appreciate the key issues in a situation which can also result in poor choices. Attentional control not only helps us perform better but research suggests it also helps us feel better.
âConcentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.â
What you may have experienced in the Mind Balance game was how susceptible you are to distraction. The accuracy and speed of your choices may have been influenced by the letters on either side of the target. According to Daniel Goleman, improving attentional control can pay dividends across almost every aspect of the leadership role. Goleman (2019) says the key is âdiligence â a willingness to exercise the attention circuits of the brain just as we exercise our analytic skills and other systems of the body.â
So how can leaders improve attentional control? Research suggests that one of the most effective methods is through mindfulness. This is a type of mental training to focus attention on experiences in the present moment, which is thought to increase the ability to concentrate effectively (Bishop 2002). Some simple mindfulness techniques include:
Simple steps to improve our ability to focus can help us thrive in dynamic, challenging, and information-rich environments.
GenAIâŻcan deliver substantial benefits, but the list of its high-profile failures is growing â and fewâŻorganizationsâŻunderstand the risks. Tomoko Yokoi outlines how a deliberate data governance strategy can mitigate the risks and...
Other people react to the âripplesâ we send out â speech, words, messages, facial expressions â by feeling energized and inspired, or drained and demotivated accordingly. Francesca Giulia Mereu explains how one...
The inclusivity crisis is a problem for all of us. Solutions are needed so that belonging is seen not as a privilege for the few, but a right accessible to all. Take...
With established methods of finding and retaining talent no longer fit for purpose, businesses need to find more effective solutions. They can start by challenging their leaders and hiring managers to perform...
Explore first person business intelligence from top minds curated for a global executive audience