Pay Attention

Carlo Serrano
Aug 23, 2017 · 3 min read
Photo by Thong Vo on Unsplash

I spent several years working as an on-air personality for a local radio station. One of my mentors in the radio game used to always pray before a show, “God, give us eyes to see and ears to hear.” He prayed this because he understood the power of perception and attention. When you have a platform, there is a danger to only see from one angle. It is easy to push your own agenda when you have control. It is also easy to tune out the stuff that you do not want to hear. It is very easy to see only what you want to see.

Attention is a fascinating thing. The early selection model of attention states that information flows through a series of four stages: sensory memory, the filter, the detector, and short-term memory. According to this model, the amount of information that a person can pay attention to is limited because the process forces information to travel through a bottle neck. Another model of attention (late selection model) is similar with the exception that messages can be selected later in the process based on their meaning. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Cocktail Party Effect (early selection model)? This model refers to the perceptual phenomenon in which a person selectively listens to one message among many, yet hears easily recognizable words from messages that are not being attended to. Have you ever been accused of selective listening? The good news is that we ALL suffer from selective listening. You are not alone! The bad news is that selective listening, tunnel vision, and limited perspective may negatively impact your ability to grow.

I think leaders are notorious for only hearing and seeing what they want to because to perceive it all usually means their faults will be seen first. Perspective is everything. I have used that axiom to encourage people to think big, be positive, and to make the most out of life. I have also used that axiom to challenge people to get out of their comfort zones.

What’s the solution to our attention issues? Here’s two ideas:

  1. Audit Your Circle

Take stock of the loudest voices in your life. Instead of dismissing the disagreeable, surround yourself with people who are smart, loyal, and never afraid to tell your the truth…to your face…no matter how painful that truth may be.

2. Commit To Growth

The cliché is true: No pain no gain! I do not like getting up at 4:45am to workout my soul and body. I do not always like mining through 50 research articles to find 2 paragraphs of gold. I do not always enjoy having conversations with people who disagree with my positions. However, I am committed to growth. That commitment helps me pay attention as opposed to selectively hearing the good stuff.

We have a tendency to change our perspective in order to be comfortable.

We look the other way when it comes to things that challenge our apathy.

We stick our fingers in our ears when a truth is spoken that if heard, would force us to look at our own struggles.

We crave the echo chamber of social media where everyone agrees with our worldview and opinions.

Leaders cannot afford to keep head in the sand.

Pay Attention.

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Carlo Serrano

Written by

Non-profit leader, educator, consultant, and lover of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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