Distractions

The first post to this blog noted it is an experiment to see if something valuable can be captured from the images of the day. It is an attempt that will be judged later by me and others as we choose, but one insight appears clear (note the date of the last post and the date of this one!), it is easy to be distracted.

At first blush, being distracted doesn’t seem too awful a crime. It can be an endearing quality; the mark of genius or a commitment to fewer, weighty principals or the result of a long day saving the planet.

If the right priorities are set, things will get done. Whether in a business setting or a personal one, we all have more we need/want/ought to do that we have time to address.

There are many ways to bring order to the chaos. We make lists, drawing comfort from the lines crossing through what needs to be done as they are done. We can delegate, easing the load by sharing what must be done. We can stockpile, hoping it won’t need to be done. And we can deny, concluding that it really doesn’t have to be done.

More than taming chaos, each is a way to prioritize responsibilities; they offer a fighting chance at getting things done. Yet each is susceptible to disruption by the distractions of new or additional responsibilities of the sort that created the need to set priorities in the first place.

Unchecked, though, little gets done beyond revising the priorities; making a new list. Sometimes a momentary crisis is the priority, but get distracted by too many and it sets the stage when only a crisis can lead to action. Companies do not decay overnight, government does not become distant in a day, Scrooge did not become Scrooge in a season. It happens over time, the result of being distracted and losing track of priorities.

Priorities are tactical expressions of what we deem to be important. As time becomes shorter, the decisions become harder. The noisier the marketplace, the greater the need to be quietly confident. The faster the pace, the surer need be the footing. And the longer the list of distractions, the deeper the need to understand the person, company, institution we want to become.

Losing sight of the center is terminal. It begins quietly with diminished contact and creates a heightened sense of self-reliance. It leads to a loss of trust among colleagues and moves on to disrupt the compact with customers. It manifests itself in hierarchy and leads to loyalty oaths. And it eats away at the business, social or personal value that helped set the priorities in the first place.

It is a story that plays out regularly in court rooms, auction houses and in government hearing rooms. It is a story about investors getting pennies on the dollar, customers left without support, executives copping pleas and calls for legislation to guard against human nature.

That is a point from which we are too easily distracted: human nature. Just as “we are easily distracted” should be a caution in a company you might join, a customer you might sign or an organization you might support, “we know who we are” can be the best hedge against getting lost in the day-to-day. A shared understanding of the mission we are on is a roadmap in strange territory, it is insurance against the dangers of being distracted.