Can I Have Your Attention?: Inspiring Better Work Habits, Focusing Your Team, and Getting Stuff Done in the Constantly Connected Workplace

PRAISE FOR CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?

"A must read for anyone in the business of leading others."
KEN MAY, CEO of Top Golf, former CEO of FedEx

"It feels like an impossible dream to be creative and productive...responsive and efficient...open to others and focused on your own work. In his provocative, pithy, and insatiably readable style, Curt Steinhorst shows how to make this dream a reality. Curt′s book certainly got my attention. I urge you to put his messages to work."
WILLIAM C. TAYLOR, cofounder of Fast Company, author of Simply Brilliant

"At last deliverance from distraction in the digital age! Everyone I know (including me) needs this book."
GEOFF COLVIN, bestselling author of Humans Are Underrated and Talent Is Overrated

"In our Stanford research we discovered an ′attention economy′ where companies compete for your mindshare and bet heavily to win your business. Curt Steinhorst has captured profound insights that turn those challenges and confusion into confidence and commitment in a world bent on distracting you."
MARK THOMPSON, The World′s #1 Growth Coach, New York Times bestselling author of Admired and Success Built to Last

"Curt is an expert in helping companies reclaim their workplaces from the drudgery of distraction."
MICHAEL COORS, co–CEO of CoorsTek, Inc.

"In a world full of distractions this book offers practical advice on how to stay focused and productive at work. If you want your team to stay focused you will want to read Can I Have Your Attention?"
CHESTER ELTON, New York Times bestselling author of All In, The Carrot Principle, and What Motivates Me

"Mandatory reading for anyone that wishes that they or their organization spent more time focusing on the things that matter."
MARK RAMPOLLA, founder of ZICO Coconut Water, author of High–Hanging Fruit

"When I saw Curt speak I was immediately struck by his ability to think ′loud–world′ differently and immediately booked him to present to BMLG."
SCOTT BORCHETTA, founder, president, and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, American Idol Mentor

"Can I Have Your Attention? is an awesome resource for business leaders who want to inspire others."
BRIAN SCUDAMORE, founder and CEO of O2E Brands

"Curt understands the consequences of distraction and, more importantly, how to capture undivided attention. His insights can help individuals and teams develop intense focus to achieve their full potential."
JOHN MCCAIN, CEO of NTT DATA Services

"If you′re looking for someone who can equip your people to better focus in today′s work environment and do so while keeping them entertained and engaged, look no further than Curt. He makes us think, keeps us laughing, and leaves us knowing how to improve our lives by reclaiming our attention."
MIKE KAPLAN, president and CEO of Aspen Ski Co.

Foreword ix

Prologue: You Don t Have Jack xi

SECTION ONE NOBODY S WORKING 1

Chapter 1 The Curse of the Overwhelmed 3

Chapter 2 It s Not Their Fault 7

Chapter 3 Tools of Our Tools 11

SECTION TWO FINDING FOCUS 19

Chapter 4 The Science of Attention 21

Chapter 5 Focus–Wise in the Age of Distraction 33

Chapter 6 The Four Elements of Focus 41

SECTION THREE FOCUS–WISE SPACE 47

Chapter 7 In Praise of Walls 49

Chapter 8 Office Space 57

Chapter 9 The Vault 67

SECTION FOUR FOCUS–WISE TECHNOLOGY 75

Chapter 10 Relationship Status: It s Complicated 77

Chapter 11 Message Undeliverable 83

Chapter 12 Free at Last 89

Chapter 13 Best Buddy or Big Brother? 97

SECTION FIVE FOCUS–WISE COMMUNICATION 105

Chapter 14 Can You Hear Me Now? 107

Chapter 15 Digital Communication: E–mail, Messaging, and Everything in Between 113

Chapter 16 Face to Face in a Facebook World 121

SECTION SIX FOCUS–WISE WORKDAY 131

Chapter 17 The Balance Myth 133

Chapter 18 Managing the Minutiae 145

Chapter 19 Can We Get an Extension? 153

SECTION SEVEN FOCUS–WISE LEADERSHIP 159

Chapter 20 The First Filter 161

Chapter 21 Individual to Institutional 169

Chapter 22 Filling the Digital Skill Gaps 177

Chapter 23 Competing with Zuckerberg 183

Chapter 24 After All, We re Here to Work 189

Chapter 25 The Focus–Wise Leader 195

About the Authors 203

Acknowledgments 205

Notes 209

Index 223

CURT STEINHORST is a speaker, business owner, entrepreneur, and founder of FocusWise. He equips professionals across the world to work smarter and stronger in this constantly–connected age. Steinhorst is a leading voice on strategic communications in the age of distraction and a certified speaker at the Center for Generational Kinetics. He is also the founder of a communications consultancy called Promentum Group.

JONATHAN MCKEE is an expert on youth culture and Millennials, and the author of over twenty books.