The human brain is highly protective, leading us to sense and respond to danger automatically. This is quite useful when the threat is real, be it a hungry bear or a livid boss. But often we perceive more danger than there really is, and that can be debilitating.

Think, for example, how easy it is to psych ourselves out (and read the response as “negative”) when we initiate an honest but difficult conversation with a peer or boss. And think how easy it is to feel attacked and raw when we’re on the receiving end of tough feedback, whether or not the person giving it is actually offensive, defensive, or angry. Because we seldom test these reactions for accuracy, our thoughts quickly spiral to a place where they are no longer useful. Our sensitive “danger radar” make us feel safer in the short-term but can undermine our long-term goals — for instance, having honest conversations that allow for learning while leaving both parties feeling psychologically intact.

So how do we learn to challenge our automatic, often inaccurate, thought patterns and replace them with more realistic and productive interpretations?

https://hbr.org/2016/08/dont-let-your-brains-defense-mechanisms-thwart-effective-feedback

About 3,000 years ago, King Solomon warned us, “Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.” In 2015, the Chicago Tribune’s top 10 list of distractions ended with, “The most mind-blowing fact about distractions is that almost no one could possibly imagine… oh, look, it’s a cat video!”

Dealing with distractions has always been important. Nicholas Carr found that, in 2000, the average amount of time we could stay focused on one task without our mind wandering to something new was 12 seconds. Today, it’s eight. Joshua Becker comments, “The information age may be literally rewiring our brains.”

This rewiring may take a while, so let’s look at some things we can do in the meantime.

https://www.mindtools.com/blog/2016/08/15/distractions-addiction/

How often have you had a conversation with someone, and thought you were paying attention to him or her, only to realize shortly afterwards that you can’t remember what he said? Or, perhaps you got distracted while he was speaking and missed the message that he was trying to deliver.

In todays busy world, it can be hard to shut out distractions such as noise and electronic devices, and our own thoughts or reactions can draw us away from a conversation. So, how can we listen more effectively? When we listen “mindfully,” we can be aware of these barriers and still remain open to the speaker’s ideas and messages.

In this article, we explore mindful listening and suggest simple ways you can use this technique to improve your listening skills.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/mindful-listening.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=16Aug16#np

Micromanagement has a way of spreading in organizations, where goals and accountability are intricately nested. What your people deliver affects what you deliver, and so on up the chain of command — so the pressure is on everywhere to make sure everyone comes through.

Before we get to what works, let’s consider what micromanaging really is and what puts you at risk of doing it. It’s not just a personality or leadership trait that can be blamed on genetic makeup or bad training, as some arguments say. Rather, it’s a breakdown in the fundamentals of delegation.

https://hbr.org/2016/08/why-is-micromanagement-so-infectious

You might think of one-on-ones as a chore, as a waste of valuable time, or even as a downright awkward experience. But regular, effective meetings between managers and their team members are essential to both individual and team success.

One-on-ones can help you to clarify your team’s objectives, coach your people, and identify areas where they can progress. Regular meetings can also help you to bridge the gap between you and your team. This allows relationships within your team to be strengthened, making for a more harmonious and motivated work environment.

This article explores these and more of the potential benefits of one-on-ones, as well as the dangers of avoiding them. It examines how these meetings can be genuinely useful, and takes you through five simple steps that will help you to make your next one-on-one count.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/great-one-on-one.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=16Aug16#np

In this article, we’ll look at what personal accountability means. We’ll also explore how you make it one of your core values.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/developing-personal-accountability.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09Aug16#np

I used to wake up, stumble over to my phone, and immediately get lost in a stream of pointless notifications. This digital haze continued throughout the day, keeping me from accomplishing important tasks. I was distracted, anxious, and ineffective as a leader. I knew I had to change but could not seem to break free from the behaviors that kept me locked into the same cycle.

This problem is not unusual. Executives across the world stumble through each day in much the same way. Two major challenges are destroying our ability to focus.

First, we increasingly are overwhelmed with distractions flying at us from various connected devices. Smartphone and tablet use is spiking, and we now use digital media for an average of over 12 hours per day. This hyperconnected state does not allow us to process, recharge, and refocus.

Second, we rely excessively on meetings as the default form of interaction with other people at work. Studies indicate that we spend anywhere from 35%–55% of our time, and sometimes much more, in meetings. If we want to stay focused on truly meaningful activity, something has to change.

https://hbr.org/2016/08/the-two-things-killing-your-ability-to-focus

We all want to be part of a great success story. To run, start, or play a senior role in a company that wins big or changes the course of its industry. To launch a brand that dazzles customers and dominates its markets. To be the kind of executive or entrepreneur who creates jobs, generates wealth, and builds an organization bursting with energy and creativity.

Which means that all of us, no matter where we are in our career, have to wrestle with the big questions of leadership: What is our personal definition of success? What does it mean to make a difference and have an impact? What is the best way to rally colleagues to our cause, to handle problems and obstacles that inevitably arise, to revise plans in the face of setbacks or to stand pat no matter the odds? How much do we rely on our own ideas and experiences, and how widely do we seek the advice and support of those around us? If we hope to succeed, we need to understand how we lead.

https://hbr.org/2016/08/the-4-leadership-styles-and-how-to-identify-yours

“So, what did you do at the weekend?” begins the water cooler conversation. It can feel like some welcome downtime from your intense workload during a busy day, but time flies and, 15 minutes later, you realize that you’re late for a meeting with your manager. And the stress returns.

Sometimes, it seems as though our workplaces have been designed to break our focus. Even when you’re “snowed under” with work, you’ll still likely check your emails regularly, read customers’ Twitter comments, or – even though your manager would disapprove – surf the Internet for cheap vacation flights.

Dr Gloria Mark, Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, says that distractions such as these are both stressful and costly. She has found that it takes an average of 23 minutes for a person to fully regain his or her focus on a task after being distracted.

The Overload Research Group – a collection of academic and corporate researchers dedicated to reducing the amount of information that people have to deal with – has found that U.S. workers waste about 25 percent of their time dealing with “an incessant stream of data,” losing their employers a staggering $997 billion a year.

In this article, we’ll identify the 10 most common distractions that we face at work, and examine strategies for managing them, or even eliminating them altogether.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/distractions.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02Aug16#np

Everyday interruptions at work can be a key barrier to managing your time effectively and, ultimately, can be a barrier to your success.

Think back to your last workday, and consider for a minute the many interruptions that occurred. There may have been phone calls, emails, hallway conversations, colleagues stopping by your office, or anything else that unexpectedly demanded your attention and, in doing so, distracted you from the task at-hand.

Because your day only has so many hours in it, a handful of small interruptions can rob you of the time you need to achieve your goals and be successful in your work and life. More than this, they can break your focus, meaning that you have to spend time re-engaging with the thought processes needed to successfully complete complex work.

The key to controlling interruptions is to know what they are and whether they are necessary, and to plan for them in your daily schedule. The tips that follow will help you do that, and so prevent interruptions from frustrating you and jeopardizing your success.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_94.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02Aug16#np