Daniel Goleman: Why Professionals Need Focus

Our focus matters immensely in everything we do. The better we can pay attention, the more excellent the results in everything from learning to leadership.

There are many varieties of attention: getting a job done well requires applying concentration, for instance, while creative insights flow best when we are in a loose, open awareness.

• Inner focus: it relates to self-awareness and self-management (how well we can tune in our values, know our strengths and limits).
• Other focus: it refers to how well we attune to people (it's about empathy, about how we understand the way people perceive things and how they feel).
• Outer focus: it refers to how well we can sense the large forces that shape our world (whose opinion matters most for a decision, how new technologies will roil a market, environmental trends, etc.)