Multitasking during meetings is hard to resist—but the cost of doing so may be higher than you think. Take a few minutes to watch Bobbie LaPorte’s December 2 “Calling the Game” video for a (gentle) reminder of how being present in the moment is the biggest lever you have in building relationships.
Are You Present or Pretending? The Real Cost of Divided Attention in Leadership
I’ve debated for awhile now whether I should write a post about one of my pet peeves, and that is people multitasking or otherwise being distracted in meetings. It seems to me like this is increasing, and I have some thoughts on why and how to start to tackle this irksome issue. So here goes.
I understand that everyone has more demands on their attention than ever before. Back-to-back meetings don’t allow for time during the day to address questions and issues that come up; remote work creates an environment where people feel they can reach out to you anytime, vs. stopping by your office to talk. This results in you having unlimited virtual availability.
The messaging apps that compete for your attention seem to be multiplying. Add that this is fueled by the continuing, challenging business environment we are all managing through, and the resulting pressure to perform, to produce, to always be “on” and attentive to the expectations of the business. No wonder we often feel like there is no alternative but to give in to the constant demands on us.
I see this every day. In client meetings…people obviously looking at their monitors for incoming “fire,” feeling the need to respond, hitting the keyboard while they are (supposedly) in a coaching session. And I see this even with my clients who are strong advocates and practitioners of mindfulness, of being present.
To be clear, I am not saying it is completely reversible. But I do think we need to stop and consider a different approach, a course correction. I could cite the studies that show how multitasking and distractions result in it taking up to 35% longer to return to and complete a task. But we’ve heard those already…and we keep doing it.
Meeting Multitasking: From Pretending to Present
So, let’s try to make this simple. At least, this is the approach I am committing to practicing myself. Here are a couple of ideas for you to consider:
- Being present—I mean really staying in the moment with the person(s) you are talking to—is the biggest lever you have in building relationships with the people you work with. It creates trust, shows empathy and understanding, and demonstrates that they are being heard. We all hunger for that.
- You are far more in control of this than you might think. Who is forcing you to answer Slack messages when you are in 1:1 meetings with your staff? What is the upside to you doing this—to letting them know there is something more important right now than them? Do you think they don’t notice and feel that way?
Believe me, they do.
Does it make you a bad leader? No. But…you could be a much more effective leader, one people want to follow, to support, to go out of their way to help make successful. One who they will remember made them feel like they were the sole focus of their attention when they were meeting. And the additional benefit is to help you feel more grounded, more calm, and more in control of your work.
To quote the famous philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh:
“The greatest gift you can give others is your presence.”
Wouldn’t that be a fitting promise to make to your team as we head into the end of the year?
To support you in calling your own game, I am offering my 30-minute online Introduction to Navigating Uncertainty course free to viewers for a limited time. Click on the link to sign up now!