Dandapani Shares Why Leaders Should Train Their Teams How to Focus

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) empowers entrepreneurs with the tools and strategies necessary to achieve their full potential. Dandapani, a Hindu priest, entrepreneur, and former monk, is a highly rated speaker at multiple EO chapter learning events, where he teaches business leaders how to focus to enhance their lives and companies. Dandapani’s new book is a step-by-step masterclass on how to implement Unwavering Focus. We asked Dandapani why entrepreneurs should train their teams on this often overlooked skill.

As an entrepreneur, you know the importance of having the right people in the right seats, performing their roles to the highest level, and driving the company forward.

But what if you have overlooked training them on the one skill that could supercharge individual productivity far above current levels?

In addition to the business benefits, as a result of this training, what if each employee gained far-reaching benefits that would significantly enhance both their personal and professional lives?

Further, what if you knew that this skill is rarely taught in any other company–and therefore represents both a competitive advantage and an employee perk?

You hire employees with skills accumulated through study and experience and ask them to perform specific roles. You provide them with training on the software, devices, and processes required to succeed.

But there is one common tool that employees utilize each day–the one they use to learn the software and processes–and they’ve almost certainly never been trained on how best to use it.

The tool I’m talking about is the human mind, the most important tool we possess. It creates our very reality, and dictates how we perform and what we think–and yet it’s the only tool we use daily that comes without a user’s manual. (Seriously–a blender comes with a 28-page instruction manual in six languages. But have you ever seen an instruction manual for your mind?)

The mind has incredible potential as a productivity tool, but most people don’t understand how to use it effectively. Schools teach writing, math, and science–but did you ever take a class about your mind? If you did, you would have learned how to harness its power to support your life’s endeavors, instead of distracting you from achieving them.

Of all the employee training that companies spend millions of dollars on, the most important one they could invest in would be teaching their teams an understanding of awareness and the mind, plus instruction on the art of focus.

The sad reality is that we are often told to focus, but nobody has ever taught us how to focus in a specific, step-by-step way. It’s one of my goals to change that.

Focus is such a critical skill because once you understand how the mind works, and how awareness moves around in the mind, you can harness it to overcome distractions and achieve your goals. Once your team knows how to focus, they will have the skill to pay attention and learn all the other skills they need. If they are distracted, it will be difficult for them to learn anything. If they can’t focus, how can they concentrate long enough to even listen to what is being taught?

In the corporate world, where productivity and efficiency are so prized, most companies fail to do the fundamental thing that can have the greatest impact–learning and practicing the art of concentration. I’d like to believe that leaders don’t teach their teams how to focus because they are simply unaware of both the cost of distraction and the fact that focus is a skill that must be learned and practiced.

Most companies are quite clear about what they want their teams to focus on. The missing piece is actually training them on how to focus.

Have you ever been in a meeting where the topic competed with the group’s small talk–and lost? It’s frustrating and a waste of time. Conversely, I can’t even begin to describe how efficient meetings become when everyone present knows how to concentrate and stay on topic.

So much time and energy are wasted by the inability of teams to focus, not to mention the exorbitant financial costs. Critical pieces of information are missed, opportunities and pitfalls overlooked–all because people do not know how to focus.

Here are seven benefits of a focused workforce:

1. Increased efficiency and productivity
2. No more distracted, pointless meetings
3. Happier, more satisfied employees
4. Minimized interruptions and wasted time
5. Lower levels of anxiety and stress
6. Controlled reactions and responses
7. Empowered team members who live more fulfilling lives

Here’s the bonus: The benefits of knowing how to focus don’t end with the workday. Your employees will enjoy their enhanced ability to focus on their personal lives, too. This means they will be mentally present to enjoy life’s milestones and live their purpose. In addition, every individual whose life is positively transformed by a newfound ability to focus will have the know-how to empower loved ones with this life-changing knowledge–so the circle will expand exponentially.