It was wise to acknowledge how tiring this approach can be. :-) Imagine maintaining high levels of concentration throughout a competitive match. How useful is this skill, however?
"The art of observation is a very fine thing. It is worthwhile to carry it along with one, for it enables one to notice things that may escape those who do not practice it." - Sherlock Holmes, in "A Scandal in Bohemia" (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) I would add this observation by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, "Observation is the foundation of all intellectual activity."
While here, why not throw in Sun Tzu, "The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand."
Taking time to slow down and see is an underrated skill in all spheres of our existence. How much more for a leader?
Is consciousness a resource that you exhaust? Or is it always something that is there for you? There is probably a distinction between awareness and focus that is useful here. Being simply aware, and using consciousness, might be enough for you to recognize these subtle cues in your environment, and to see them through the lens of feedback.
Consciousness is not exhaustible—we are, after all. What is tiring or can tire you is 100% observation or concentration. Remember that the same mind that needs to do this also faces bombardment from competing stimuli in our environment. Another way to look at this is you must be present to observe. You cannot do it passively. That presence can be energy-sapping. The example of concentration all through a competitive match is my best way to explain this.
It was wise to acknowledge how tiring this approach can be. :-) Imagine maintaining high levels of concentration throughout a competitive match. How useful is this skill, however?
"The art of observation is a very fine thing. It is worthwhile to carry it along with one, for it enables one to notice things that may escape those who do not practice it." - Sherlock Holmes, in "A Scandal in Bohemia" (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) I would add this observation by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, "Observation is the foundation of all intellectual activity."
While here, why not throw in Sun Tzu, "The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand."
Taking time to slow down and see is an underrated skill in all spheres of our existence. How much more for a leader?
Is consciousness a resource that you exhaust? Or is it always something that is there for you? There is probably a distinction between awareness and focus that is useful here. Being simply aware, and using consciousness, might be enough for you to recognize these subtle cues in your environment, and to see them through the lens of feedback.
Consciousness is not exhaustible—we are, after all. What is tiring or can tire you is 100% observation or concentration. Remember that the same mind that needs to do this also faces bombardment from competing stimuli in our environment. Another way to look at this is you must be present to observe. You cannot do it passively. That presence can be energy-sapping. The example of concentration all through a competitive match is my best way to explain this.
Every interaction is an opportunity to make someone better.