Not that another word needs to be written about Tiger Woods latest superhuman feat…victory over the likeable, underdog, everyman Rocco Mediate’s on a sudden death hole at the U.S. open…

But I just can’t help but comment on Tiger’s secret weapon: focus.

As David Brooks writes in a New York Post Op Ed,  Tiger has cemented his legacy as the embodiment of immortal excellence.  But why?  As Brooks puts it, “In a period that has brought us instant messaging, multitasking, wireless distractions and attention deficit disorder, (Tiger) Woods has become the exemplar of mental discipline. After watching Woods walk stone-faced through a roaring crowd, the science writer Steven Johnson, in a typical comment, wrote: “I have never in my life seen a wider chasm between the look in someone’s eye and the surrounding environment.”

Out here in the real world, meanwhile, we mortals are more frustrated than ever as we succumb to the noise and distraction.  If we’re honest, even those among us who have rise to the top of an organization because of focus and hard work find it virtually impossible today to stay centered and keep our eye on what’s important.  As Brooks comments “…Today  I’ve been trying to write this column, I’ve toggled over to check my e-mail a few times. I’ve looked out the window. I’ve jotted down random thoughts for the paragraphs ahead. But Woods seems able to mute the chatter that normal people have in their heads and build a tunnel of focused attention.”

What is the secret to focus?  It’s more than discipline.  Discipline is an outward sign of focus but not the driver.  What allows us to focus is not discipline.  It is purpose.  A purpose that is big, exciting, and worth pursuing.  People who are clear about purpose are energized and find it easy, not hard, to focus.  Focus on your purpose is almost like play.  

The Novelist, brilliant debater, and England’s first and only Jewish prime minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “Nurture your mind with great thoughts.”  Disraeli was elected to Parliament in 1837 after failing to win election in four earlier tries.   He eventually became know as the leader of the Conservatives in the Commons.  He became prime minister for a second time at age 70.

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, discover the passion that energizes you and you will focus.  It’s a lot easier to let your Blackberry sit in its case for an hour or two when you are simply excited about … where you are going and why.

To read David Brooks’ column:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/opinion/17brooks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 

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The internet has changed how we research, but has it also altered the way we read?  The way we think? 

This Nicholas Carr’s argument in Atlantic Magazine (July/August 2008 www.theatlantic.com/magazine ).  We are becoming masters of the “power browse” and on the face of it, that SEEMS like a good thing: our brains are taking in more information, processing and downloading efficiently.  Think about it.  You can find on the web in minutes what used to take hours in the library. 

However, Carr quotes bloggers, writers and others who say they now have trouble staying focused on long pieces of writing, skim everything and quickly lose interest.  Bruce Friedman, a blogger on computers in medicine says “I have now almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print.”  Some say today they would not have the capacity to read War and Peace.

While long term neurological and psychological experiments on cognition will take years to be completed and published, Carr quotes a five-year research program where scholars examined computer logs documenting the behavior of visitors to a web site.  They found people were hopping from one web source to another and rarely returned to any source they’d already visited. 

What does this mean for leaders who are trying to communicate with a workforce?  If people are scanning the text of an email (and believe they have the ability to instantly “comprehend”) you can be sure that a large percentage will look for key words, and if they don’t find them, miss the point (or something important like the scheduled call, or project deadline).  They might scan the headlines of the the company newsletter, read the first paragraph of a few articles and decide whether to “skim on.”   This of course makes it harder than ever to keep people informed, or get them on the same page about ANYTHING.

Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist at Tufts University says we are not only what we read, but HOW we read.  If we put efficiency and immediacy above all else it may weaken our capacity to read for deep meaning.  In other words, we become  “mere decoders of information.”  Carr argues if we lose those quiet spaces of contemplation we will sacrifice something important not only in ourselves but in our culture.

Here’s what I’d like to know:

• Are YOU worried about this? 
• Have you already factored this behavior in when you communicate with employees, clients, customers and vendors?  
• What is the potential impact on your business if people don’t make it a practice to thoroughly read emails and other internal communications that you send? 

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I read today that Barack Obama has created a new “unit” of his campaign staff, with the purpose of combating online rumors.

Good luck to him.  He’ll need more than a unit.  More like a battalion!

No presidential candidate, or CEO for that matter, can afford to ignore the power of the Internet in spreading rumors (or spreading truth!).  The trench wars are getting brutal. You just can’t hide your head in the sand and pretend your enemies aren’t pummeling you with virtual attacks.

Of course, Obama might consider the fact that the positive has mostly outweighed the negative, so far.  He’s been the beneficiary of amazingly positive internet exposure like those videos of the “Obama Girl” and the celebrities singing “Yes We Can” — today’s version of online kumbaya.

On the other side of the spectrum, I read on Telegraph.co.uk that Republican John McCain is turning to Google for help in his bid to find the ideal running mate for president.

Will they announce the winner of the online search?  Will people expect McCain to choose the winner?  Will people vote once, or many times?  Perhaps they’ll follow in the footsteps of American Idol.

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AARP magazine this month has a great article entitled “Everyone has a Story to Tell.” Abigail Thomas, the author of A Three Dog Life and Safekeeping, teaches the art of memoir writing, and provides some wonderful advice on tapping into your creative side.

Thomas says writing is important to her, because it’s how she makes sense of her life. I agree. Writing doesn’t just allow you to make sense of your personal life. It’s a fantastic tool for getting perspective on your business life and the life of your company.

Whether or not you have a “secret dream” to write personal memoirs, writing stories is a fabulous way to bring pizzazz, perspective and a personal touch to your presentations. And you don’t need to get “ultra” personal with a story. To make it work for a business presentation, it just needs to be yours…so that people connect with you and understand your perspective.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, has a story. One of our senior consultants, Craig Bentley, likes to say, “If you’re breathing, you have stories.” We’ve found the best way to “discover” your own stories is to recall scenarios like this:

• A successful (or unsuccessful) team project
• An awkward moment in business you’ll never forget
• A failure that taught you an important principal or value
• A person who has inspired you in your personal or business life

Just like writing a memoir, writing a business story really helps you get perspective. But don’t try to force the point. As you write, put it all on paper and then, go back and look for the point of the story.

My favorite part of the AARP article is “21 Ways to Start Writing”

Again, these are memoir tips, but try them out when looking for business stories:

• Write two pages of apologies
• Write two pages in which something is broken
• Write two pages on taking your time

Storytelling is a leadership skill — every leader should have an anthology of stories that reveal something about them.

So carve out a couple of hours at home on the weekend, put up your feet, get a legal pad or a laptop computer and just start! You’ll be amazed at what happens when you set aside time for personal creativity.

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