Getting the attention of attention-challenged leaders

Getting the Attention of Attention-Challenged Leaders

Ellen Nichols

© 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ert.20196

The workplace is now filled with attention-challenged leaders, decision makers who,

thanks to the continuous and infinite dataflow that 24/7 technology provides, areoverextended. They are not able to fullyengage with their teams and provide direc-tion and guidance. It is not realistic to sug-gest that there is a quick fix that will promptleaders to suddenly change their ways. Thisarticle, therefore, describes the problem sothat managers and others in the organizationwill understand what they have to do to getan executive’s attention when they need togain input, collaborate on decisions, or getdirection.

WHY TODAY’S LEADERS ARE ATTENTION-CHALLENGED

In very broad terms, if you’re in an organiza-tion, you’re either in a “doing” or a decision-making role. There is no definitive pointat which doing ends and decision makingbegins, but generally leaders are at the top.Their role is to make strategic decisions. Fur-ther down are managers who translate thosestrategies into action, and still further downare staff, or doers, who implement thosedecisions.

Leaders use vast amounts of informationto maintain a “big-picture” point of view,assess long-term impacts, ensure decisionsare in line with overarching strategies, andcoordinate efforts of multiple individuals. Incontrast, doers’ work is more narrowly

focused, often based on a defined skill, andrequires attention to detail. Perks and statusaside, specialized roles are simply a way ofachieving efficiency in organizations.

Technology has transformed all our lives,but its impact has been significantly differenton doers and decision makers. For doers,tasks that once took hours or years are accom-plished more quickly, safely, and accuratelythanks to technologies that facilitate every-thing from operating machinery to reconfig-uring sales plans, correcting spelling mis-takes, or making multiple copies. (Witnessthe generation of administrative assistantswhose lives are less stressful for never hav-ing to handle carbon paper!)

The decision maker’s role, however, hasbeen made more complex by technology. Ithas increased decision makers’ key resource,information, to unmanageable proportions,which in turn has increased the number ofdecisions they make. Thanks to cell phones,faxes, BlackBerries, video conferencing, andso on, there’s an endless and continuous sup-ply of information.

The decision maker’s job is further com-plicated because making more decisionsmeans managing more decisions. Managingtranslates into time-consuming meetings,communications, reports, and presentationsto provide direction, feedback, and guidanceto those responsible for implementation.

And finally, this wealth of readily avail-able data has raised the bar on expectationsthat decisions—and results—will be made

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Ellen NicholsEmployment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert

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and achieved more quickly. Twenty yearsago, five-year plans were the basis by whichleaders were judged. Today, quarter-over-quarter growth is what a CEO is expected todeliver.

Make no mistake that a digitally connectedworld provides great benefits, but this new-found wealth of information and acceleratedpace exact a price. Today’s decision makersare expected to attend to more than they canreasonably accommodate. As a result, theyoften appear impulsive and inattentive. Lead-ers haven’t become less intelligent, industrious,or diligent. They’re simply being challenged todeal with more and do it more quickly. In theprocess, their brains have responded in a pre-dictable manner by acquiring attention-deficitcharacteristics.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE ATTENTION-CHALLENGED BEHAVIORS

Thanks to research on a neurological condi-tion, attention-deficit syndrome, we have sig-nificant understanding about how the brainworks when faced with demanding environ-ments and what behaviors can be expected.Attention-deficit disorder, or ADD, describesa syndrome associated with a brain that ischronically—continuously—overtaxedbecause it lacks the ability to selectively payattention.

For someone with ADD, everything, fromcrickets chirping outside the house to the tele-vision program in the next room to the personsitting right across the table, receives equal

attention. Unlike individuals whose brainsare unconsciously prioritizing stimuli, peoplewith ADD must make constant and continu-ous decisions on what to “bring to the front”and “send to the back” of their minds. Twobehaviors that are characteristic of ADD indi-viduals are (1) they’re easily distracted and(2) they aren’t able to think ahead in a long-term fashion.

We also know that diminished-volumeareas of the ADD brain are the same regionsthat shut down when anyone’s brain reachescapacity and that person begins to have feel-ings of panic, distress, or fear about not beingable to keep up. In other words, the neuro-logically based responses associated withclinical ADD are similar to the responses ofanyone who feels overstretched.

Attention-challenged leader (ACL) is a fit-ting term for today’s overburdened decisionmaker. Like their ADD counterparts, ACLsstruggle to focus on any one thing, yet areso directed at gaining control of the imme-diate environment that they often lose sightof the big picture. The difference is that theACL’s affliction is environmental, not neu-rological.

ACL behavior is not a matter of lack ofconscientiousness or intelligence; it’s aboutthe brain’s availability to focus in demandingenvironments. Research makes it easier tounderstand why ACLs make decisions with-out obtaining complete information or consid-ering long-term results, but the consequencesof this decision-making style go beyond thedecision itself and beg attention. When deci-sions aren’t fully considered or address onlytactical issues, the result is that projects arereworked, revised, reversed, micromanaged,put on hold, abandoned, and then restartedin crisis mode. All of this affects those whoare doing the work.

Twenty years ago, five-year plans were the basis by whichleaders were judged. Today, quarter-over-quarter growthis what a CEO is expected to deliver.

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THE ANSWER LIES IN FAST AND FOCUSEDCOMMUNICATIONS

Now that you know that ACLs will quicklyshift their focus you have to find ways tohelp them stay focused long enough to re-ceive, or trade, pertinent information andstay strategic. Start by implementing fastand focused communications ideas in meet-ings and presentations. These are the mostinformation-intensive arenas for middlemanagers and leaders, and the best placefor turning out results.

1. Get Off to a Strong Start

Establish a concrete purpose for the meeting(e.g., agreement, input, approval, opinions).Saying “I wanted to meet today to catch youup on the new marketing plan” is vague andnot likely to engage your ACL as effectivelyas opening with “I’m here to show you themarketing materials and get your signoff sowe’re ready for the season’s first sales meet-ing next month.”

Be Specific

Share the purpose at the outset so it’s clear,at whatever point the meeting or presenta-tion ends, whether or not the goal has beenachieved. If your goal is clearly outlined andthe meeting is cut short, you’ll be in a goodposition to ask to reconvene the meeting inshort order.

Provide Context

If you updated your ACL about a project aweek ago, it’s likely that since you lastspoke, she’s discussed 20 other initiatives,gone through 500 e-mails, and attended

Getting the Attention of Attention-Challenged LeadersEmployment Relations Today DOI 10.1002/ert

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40 meetings. Don’t expect her to recall thedetails of what you’re working on. Kick offyour meeting with one or two sentences aboutthe project, the overarching goal, and the mostrecent steps, outcome, or agreements. You’llsave time and energy for everyone involved.

Be Sure to Keep It Short

As one ACL said, “It’s a colossal waste of timewhen someone on my staff comes into myoffice and starts in on a long-winded explana-tion or story. If I don’t immediately recognizewhat a person is talking about, I put up my

hand, stop him, and tell him to start over andbriefly tell me the purpose of his visit andwhat he needs. I know some people call mybehavior rude, but I work 60-hour weeks as itis already. I just don’t have time to wadethrough someone’s ramblings.”

Display an Agenda Front and Center

An agenda can be more than a list of issuesto discuss. It should include past and futureproject milestones, decisions made, anddecisions yet to be made. This running recapis a continuous reminder of long-term goalsand issues. It is particularly helpful withACLs.

2. Be Clear and Concise

Opening with generalizations like “There area whole lot of issues here” or “This state-of-the-art technology can do everything” signalseither the beginning of a long ramble or

An agenda can be more than a list of issues to discuss. Itshould include past and future project milestones, decisionsmade, and decisions yet to be made.

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something so complex that your ACL is likelyto drift. Instead, use verbal headlines.

Headlines are designed to grab attentionand summarize the most important items tofollow. Visualize a newspaper and you havethe right idea. Verbal headlines provide anACL with a signal of how you’ll organizeyour thoughts. Additionally, openings like

“The pilot phase is complete, and this is areport of our learnings” or “The one issue I’mmost concerned about is . . .” provide cues onwhat to listen for.

The following are three effective headlin-ing techniques:

a. Numbers. Open your comments with “Twoissues to solve are . . .” or “I think thereare three ways to look at this opportu-nity,” and your ACL will mentally havemarkers to listen for. And for howeverlong you talk, he or she will magicallyhave more patience to sit and listen!

b. Comparisons to something familiar. Startwith “This procurement system will be alot like sending an e-mail” and you’vegiven your ACL a visual image of some-thing he or she understands that willlikely engage him or her mentally.

c. Outcomes. “When we make this sales pre-sentation, our customers will be mostexcited about . . .” is an opening that willentice an action-oriented ACL to payattention. When you create a verbalawareness of the results, you establish aspecific goal that compels attention andpushes someone into action.


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Add stepping-stones. Establish this pattern:(a) headline, (b) two or three sentences, (c)another headline, and (d) two or three moresupporting sentences. Your presentation willhave the feel of stepping-stones that allowyour audience to comfortably follow your“path” of thinking. Think of headlines likelabeled file folders on your desktop. Bit-by-bitmental images make the information easier todigest and easier to retrieve later.

A note on brevity: it’s the road to clarity.Speaking in two-to-three-sentence chunksmay seem fragmented and may go againstyour nature to share the depth of yourknowledge, but keep in mind that the longera speaker drones on, the more likely he orshe is to lose an audience—especially anACL. An ACL is short on time and focused onaction. Your clearly organized, concise com-ments keep the ACL focused and engaged,demonstrating your respect for his or herinput as well as time.

Elaborate only when invited. If your ACLwants more information, he or she will askfor it. If you think your ACL does not havethe depth of knowledge or is not familiarenough with the details of a project to knowwhat to ask, trigger his or her thinking with abold headline. A concise, clear statement like“There is a history of bad blood between usand our supplier” is enough for an ACL todetermine whether or not to pursue theissue.

Be sure you’re equipped with detailsbecause complete and relevant informationsignals your quality work and expertise. It isthe best way to assure decisions can bemade. But keep the detail as backup, anddraw on it only as needed. Answer the ques-tion asked. When your ACL asks a question,answer only the question. Answer it asbriefly and succinctly as possible. Headlines

An ACL is short on time and focused on action. Yourclearly organized, concise comments keep the ACL focusedand engaged, demonstrating your respect for his or herinput as well as time.

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are effective with answers too. Only whenyou confirm you’ve answered the questionshould you add your own points. “If I’veanswered your question about the number ofrequired system modifications, this is a goodtime to bring up alternative approaches”doesn’t muddle the answer and the opinionor confuse the listener.

If you don’t have the information or thedepth of knowledge to answer a question, sayso, but offer to take action. (Remember thatACLs are tactical.) “That’s something ourfinance department could best answer. Letme investigate, and I’ll let you know what Ilearn by the end of the day” is an effectiveway to handle the situation. Don’t fake ananswer because you’ll likely end up talkingabout something you don’t know. This maydiminish your credibility, and it won’t answerthe question.

Think of meaningful, clear, concise, andorganized communications like putting big“Reduced” signs on the sale racks in a store.A single word, well chosen and well placed,lets bargain hunters quickly and confidentlyzero in on the deals without having to take inall of the store’s merchandise. The bargainhunters save time, and the store morequickly frees up floor space for new stock.Everyone wins. In the case of good communi-cations, it’s your audience who saves time;your reward comes when your words areabsorbed and appropriate action is taken.

3. Keep Your Listener Talking

At frequent intervals (once every two tothree headlines is not too often), grab yourACL’s attention with an engaging question.The perfunctory “Any questions?” will giveyou vacuous head nodding and will comeback to haunt you when, three weeks later,


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your ACL asks, “Who okayed this plan? Idon’t remember anything about this!” Instead,ask questions like, “What’s your top concern?”or “I’d appreciate your feedback on . . .” or“How does this compare with what you visu-alized?” These are the kinds of open-endedquestions that get your ACL’s attention andprovide valuable input you can use.

4. Spotlight What Is Critical

Eliminate distractions. Make it easy to estab-lish and hold eye contact. In group meetings,arrange the seating in a circle so your ACLdoesn’t have to peer through rows of peopleor turn his or her head from side to side inorder to visually connect with a speaker.In one-on-one meetings, sit directly acrossfrom one another.

Keep food or refreshments off to the sideor in the back of the room. Close doors sohallway conversations and other noises areminimal. If the conference room has win-dows—exterior or interior—close the blinds.A view of others’ offices, the plant floor, anemployee break area, or even cars on thestreet can sidetrack an ACL’s attention.

If your ACL seems unusually distracted,acknowledge it with something like “Shall Icome back later?” or “You seem pressed fortime. Can I give you a headline now and setup another meeting this week to get yourinput on this issue?” There may be some-thing so significant going on in your ACL’sworld that, no matter what you do, you’ll be

If you don’t have the information or the depth of knowledgeto answer a question, say so, but offer to take action.

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in a no-win competition for his or herinvolvement.

Use visuals or hard copies. Tangible writ-ten materials keep your ACL focused, butthe materials should augment, not repeat,what you’re saying. If your ACL sees thatwhat’s on the paper in front of him or heris redundant with what is being said, he orshe will choose the faster format—scanningthe hard copy rather than listening to you.For this reason, savvy managers often dis-tribute handouts one page at a time ratherthan as a whole “deck.” This keeps their all-too-impatient ACLs literally on the samepage.

Visuals that effectively augment a discus-sion are those that spotlight critical informa-tion such as issues, conclusions, or key learn-ings; contain quantitative information such ascosts, trends, or usage; or provide contextualinformation such as comparisons, pros andcons, or steps.

Speak with conviction and energy. Audi-ences derive meaning from delivery as wellas from content. Speak confidently. It’s ameans of compelling people to pay attention.Modulate the tone, speed, and volume ofyour voice to provide additional signals asto which points are especially important.

Be prepared for your ACL to get offcourse. ACLs are paying partial attention toa multitude of things around them. Theirthinking can be triggered by the discussion athand, by an offhand comment, or even byseeing someone or something en route to theconference room.


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An ACL can almost always be counted onto raise “how about” or “what if” ideas. Some-times these ideas build on the discussion athand. Sometimes these ideas come out of leftfield with no obvious relationship to the topicunder consideration. Either way, you shouldanticipate this and be ready to quickly distin-guish whether the “what if” is merely theACL thinking out loud or providing a newimperative. “Is that an issue we can put on a‘parking lot’ list or is it a priority over theproject we’re now finishing?” is the type ofquestion that will elicit the necessary per-spective to take action or record the idea.

5. Close Strongly

Before you adjourn, confirm the action itemsand the expected outcomes. This is an addi-tional opportunity to engage your ACL’sattention on anything you think he or shemay have missed during the meeting.

Offer to send out a recap, to-do list, oragenda. It is more work, but we all have sto-ries about the lost productivity and confusionthat incomplete actions have caused.

You don’t need to write volumes. The sameheadlining, brevity, and spotlighting tactics thatgrab your ACL’s attention when you speak areeffective in your written communications too.

Use an e-mail subject line to state thepurpose and action required. Use bullets,section headings, and white space (generousmargins, short paragraphs) to create the lookand feel of headlines. Be brief. Save detailsfor attachments.

MAKE YOUR TIME COUNT

Providing fast and focused communicationstakes planning and more time in preparation.But given the limited time you have in front

Speak with conviction and energy. Audiences derive mean-ing from delivery as well as from content.

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of your ACL, it’s worth it. If you can grabyour ACL’s attention 90 percent of the time,you will be able to get what you need for youand your team to get the job done. You will


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also save everyone involved from the unnec-essary stress of revising and reworking proj-ects for which you did not have the ACL’sfull attention when you needed it.

Ellen Nichols is a human resources executive with 20-plus years of corporate experiencein Fortune 100 companies, including NBC Universal and The Walt Disney Company. Sheencountered her first attention-challenged leader in the mid-1990s. As she came acrossmore and more such managers, she began developing techniques to effectively work withthem, and as her reputation for success grew, she began coaching others on her approach.She may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected] or through her Web site atwww.teamswithleaders.com. This article is excerpted and adapted from the 2008 PfeifferAnnual: Management Development (with CD-ROM), Robert C. Preziosi (Ed.), bypermission of Pfeiffer/A Wiley Imprint.

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Getting the attention of attention-challenged leaders