Critical Review: The Focused Leader by Daniel Goleman
Chiranjibi Dalabehara
2021PGP098
Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Critical Review:
The Focused Leader, an article written by author Daniel Goleman was published in the
Harvard Business Review in December 2013, makes a point that directing attention is very
critical and is the primary task of Leadership. Also, it mentions that effective leaders must learn
this to focus their immediate attention. Being focused requires us to filter out the distractions
while performing any tasks. According to the author Goleman, three extensive buckets exist in
attention. They are: focusing on yourself, focusing on others and focusing on the wider world.
The article says emotional intelligence can be achieved by focusing on self and focusing on
others constructively. The article also mentions that failing to focus the triad inward, others
and outward may leave the leader rudderless, clueless, and blindsided, respectively. The article
further explains different forms of focus, vindicating its points with proper research and shreds
of evidence from various fields of psychology and neuroscience.
Focusing on yourself demands Emotional Intelligence which begins with selfawareness. The article states that leaders who are self-aware and have self-control are more
effective in Leadership. Gut feelings are the somatic markers that help the leader simplify
decision-making and lead our attention towards better options. Attention, the mental muscle
can be reinforced with the right kind of exercise. Meditation is an essential exercise that builds
concentration and calmness and helps recover from stress. Leaders should have open
awareness, in which one should observe everything going around without being carried away
by any particular thing. The article advises the leaders to open their awareness. Effective
leaders must have cognitive control in which one should put his attention where ever required.
This is also known as willpower, which helps executives pursue their goals irrespective of any
distractions and setbacks.
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Focusing on others is the base of empathy and an ability to build social relationships.
These are the second and third pillars of Emotional Intelligence. Natural leaders can effectively
focus on others. They are easy to recognize amongst others. Effective leaders possess three
different kinds of empathy:
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cognitive empathy (ability to understand other person’s view)
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emotional empathy (ability to feel what another person feels)
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empathic concern (ability to sense what other person needs)
Experiencing cognitive empathy requires leaders to think about the feelings rather than feel
them directly. Effective leaders having emotional empathy can effectively mentor, manage
their clients and read group dynamics. The article mentions that Empathic Concern is a doubleedged feeling. Leaders having empathic concern should manage their distress without
paralyzing them to the pain of others. Research suggests that maintaining personal connections
suffers when individuals move up in leadership positions. Effective leaders have social
sensitivity, which helps them perform better at overseas assignments. Research suggests that
individuals who are up in the order tend to listen less to the people lower in the order and
monopolize the discussions. Columbia University has developed an automated Social
Hierarchy Detection algorithm, which suggests that people higher in the order take a longer
time to reply back the e-mails than the individuals lower the order.
Focusing on the wider world requires effective leaders to be good listeners and good
questioners. They are visionaries who think about how their current decisions may impact in
future. Focusing on various strategies is the key for any business leader. Effective leaders are
focused leaders who direct various commands of their own decision. The article also describes
about the wellsprings of innovation where the author impacts the innovation or announcement
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of any new idea by any individual even though the same amount of information is available to
everyone. Also, it says innovative ideas come freely and spontaneously, often in showers or
during a walk. Effective leaders do exhibit system awareness.
The article says that emotional empathy can be developed. Similarly, empathy can be
controlled. To conclude, a focused leader should channel his attention. Focused Leaders are in
touch with their inner feelings; they can control their impulses and remove distractions from
themselves. Giving proper attention to every issue at hand can lead an individual to be an
effective leader. Lastly, the author encourages everyone to place attention at the center stage
so that they can direct it for the good of themselves and their organization. All organizations
need to understand various modes of focus and ways to strengthen them.
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Reference:
Goleman, D. (2013, December). The Focused Leader. Harvard Business Review.
https://hbr.org/2013/12/the-focused-leader/ar/1
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