Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence

Daniel Goleman is probably most well-known for being the author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. In this book, he describes three kinds of focus: “Inner focus attunes us to our intuitions, guiding values, and better decisions. Other focus smooths our connections to the people in our lives. And outer focus lets us navigate in the larger world.” He argues that in this day and age, when distractions are on the rise, it is critical to develop all these three types of focus.

I sometimes found Dr. Goleman strayed a little too far from the topic of focus, delving into related but at times seemingly distant areas of self-awareness, empathy and systems thinking. These tertiary subjects were interesting, nonetheless, but I found myself trying to remember how what I was reading related to the main subject of “focus.”

Interestingly, what I found most interesting was not one of his main ideas but perhaps a sub-theme that ran throughout his book: the interplay of focus, emotions, and performance. I write more about this on my blog. ((Each month I write Book Notes on what I believe are useful to talented and caring women and parents and summarize key insights that would be most relevant to them.) To read my Book Notes on this book, please visit: https://lifejunctions.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/booknote-focus/