A Leader's Greatest Enemy (And What to Do About It)

What is the greatest enemy of leaders today?

A few years ago, while out on for a run, I heard this question posed on a podcast episode I was listening to on the importance of focused work. The leader being interviewed responded by saying: distraction. Caught off guard by the response, I stopped running to listen more intently. He went on to share that our phones are the single greatest factor to distraction in the life of a leader.

On the surface, our glowing electronic screens are not inherently wrong. But what can be wrong is our lack of thoughtful engagement with them. Take, for example, the study quote by Michael Winnick in his piece “Putting a Finger on Our Phone Obsession.” The study revealed that the average cell phone user touches their phone 2,617 times per day (and heavy users touch their phones 5,427 times a day.)

I am not a Luddite, I assure you. I have an iPhone, an iPad and a MacBook Pro. Technology is important and helps us to be better leaders. I struggle to imagine what it would be like to be off my screens for a few days at a time. But distraction comes at a great cost, especially to leaders. Nir Eyal, in his book Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, wrote that the opposite of distraction is not focus, but traction. The word traction comes from the Latin word which means to draw or to pull (like a tractor). When I first learned Steve Jobs wouldn’t let his own family members have screens and devices on at the dinner table - even the very ones he had invented - I realized that our cell phones can cost us dearly.

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The past few years, I’ve worked purposefully to address this distraction problem. Before engaging with my phone or posting on social media, here are several questions I ask myself:

• What is my motive? Am I trying to make others believe I am powerful, attractive, intelligent, or funny? Is it to impress or make myself look better or more spiritual? Is it to bring undue attention to myself? 

• Can this wait? I’ve found batching items saves me time and mental energy. I write down things on a piece of paper and return to it later.

• Does anybody really care what I am about to post - and does it truly matter? Does the world really need more pictures of our Chipotle burrito or another cat video?

• Is this wise? It may be witty, interesting, or popular, but is it wise to post this?

• Am I making the world better by adding value? Am I adding value or just adding to the noise?

• Does what I am doing on my phone align with my most important goals and purposes? There are myriad ways I could be investing my life. Is this the best use of my limited time?

. . .

I’m far from perfect (ask my family) but I have seen my time freed up, my mental energy increase, my schedule become more aligned with my ultimate goals, and my presence—whether it be with people or projects—be meaningful and fruitful. I’ve learned that choosing to be intentionally disconnected from technology has helped me be a more effective and present leader.

I’ve engaged 10 specific practices to fight against the enemy of distraction.

Here are 10 practices I engage in that help me defeat the enemy of distraction:

[1] Turning off all notifications: Other than phone calls and text messages, I’ve eliminated all notifications. No buzzes, beeps, pings, and banner images, no “breaking news” about what Beyonce wore at the latest music awards event. Let me say clearly and confidently: eliminating notifications has been glorious. My only regret is I didn’t do it earlier.

[2] Deleting all social media apps on my phone: I’ve deleted all “infinity apps” (apps you can scroll and never get to the bottom of all the information). I use social media only on my laptop. A few years ago, I did something that felt radical. I deleted my Instagram account. But instead of radical, I realized it was relieving. 

[3] No email on my phone either. Several years ago I took email off of my phone. I can only check email on my laptop. Many have asked me incredulously: “Have you ever missed a meeting or been in a situation where you felt logistically stuck without email?” Nope, not yet.

[4] Always having my phone on vibrate: My phone never rings or pings – and, as a result, I’m calmer, more present, more relaxed. It’s less sound I have to hear in an already noisy world. 

[5] Engaging in occasional social media fasts: Even with limitations on my phone, I fast from social media (sometimes for a few days, sometimes for Lent, for example). It reminds me social media is good, but not as good as I am sometimes tempted to believe. 

[6] Utilizing airplane mode frequently (even when I am not on a plane): When I am in a meeting and want to be fully present or I am trying to prepare a teaching or to engage in deep work with a project, I use airplane mode - and then put my phone across the room so I can’t reach for it easily. It’s on airplane mode for at least an hour every day, sometimes longer.

[7] Scripture before phone: I read this phrase “scripture before phone” in Justin Whitmel Earley’s book The Common Rule. The book impacted how I structure my days and weeks and has helped me be more present to God and others. Being in Scripture before I reach for my phone each morning anchors and grounds me, especially in frenetic and intense seasons.

[8] Putting my phone inconveniently out of reach. As simple as it sounds, just leaving my phone downstairs or in the other room has been tremendously helpful. Instead of reaching in my pocket or leaving it within a convenient arm’s reach on my nightstand, I put it in a physically inconvenient location so if I really need it I have to make some effort to get up and go get it. Simple, I know, but it works. Try it.

[9] Intentionally “forgetting” my phone on occasion: I find when I go for a walk or run an errand I am intentionally “forgetting” my phone at home more and more often. I realize I really don’t need it as often as I think I do. When I meet a leader for a meeting or for lunch, I often leave in the console of my car. This is not because I am disciplined to resist the pull of my phone; it’s for the very fact I am not disciplined is why I do it.

[10] Using the app Moment: I stumbled across a free app called Moment a few years ago. It tracks the number of times you pick up your phone, as well as the number of minutes you spend on it. Being aware of the amount of time I spend helps me be that much more cognizant of its presence in my life. I sometimes I’ll play a game with myself: can I pick the phone a little less and spend less time on it today than I did yesterday? 

. . .

This is not about legalism or diminishing the enjoyment or functionality of our phones. We should use them, but with wisdom and purpose. In all of this thoughtful technological engagement, I recommend reading Andy Crouch’s book The Tech-Wise Family. It’s not a long book, but it’s thoughtful, important and deeply practical.

Cultivating practices can help ensure we’re engaging with screens purposefully and refraining from thoughtlessly wasting time on things that truly don’t matter or don’t align with our values in our lives. Our phones can help us leverage this technological tool for good or is can be our greatest enemy as a leader. Be purposeful to slay the beast of distraction before it slays you, and move from distraction to traction.