Earlier this week a picture caught my eye of a prime minister and a president who I helped on their way to the top with the same tip I’ll share with you now.
When I was advising them, both were being hit from all sides by an avalanche of information. A cacophony of opinions. A deluge of demands on their time and mental space.
We all know what that feels like don’t we?
Ahead of them was a significant, potentially career defining, moment.
To perform well they needed to shut out the noise and focus.
If they could do that, they would be able to think with absolute clarity. And then communicate with clarity.
They needed to deal with the pressure they were facing without it sucking away their energy. Or diverting their attention away from the important task at hand.
While we have all been told to “focus” by well-meaning friends and colleagues when our brains are overloaded, we naturally (and easily) find our minds-wandering.
Instead of merely stating the obvious “this is really important, you must focus” I worked with them on breaking down a task into its simplest form before building it back up again.
By doing this you reduce the level of skill required to the bare minimum before building it back up again through increased intensity and pressure.
To use preparation for a live national TV debate as an example:
Step 1: Read through draft answers to hostile questions and likely interventions from other candidates, practice reading them out loud
Step 2: Answer questions thrown at them by their team of advisers
Step 3: Increase the intensity by filming their answers and providing feedback in a rapid, quickfire format
Step 4: A full dress rehearsal under lights, in front of cameras in a rented TV studio or mock studio built specially for the practice session
Putting in place a process means the task becomes deliberate and full of intent.
This means that focus is achieved. Skill levels increase. Techniques become embedded.
What do you need to focus on now and in the future?
How could following this approach be beneficial to you?