A plaque engraved with these words sat in prominent view on the credenza of the President of an international engineering firm. I had often been impressed by his ability to cut through the clutter surrounding an issue and find creative solutions to address the heart of the problem. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to bring insight and wisdom to the most complex matters. But this was the first time I'd seen his office. After our meeting, I asked him about the plaque. As it turned out, that sign - and the idea behind it - was the key to the qualities I most admired in this skilled and effective leader.
Most of us wear busyness as a badge of honor. We show how important we are by attending to multiple tasks at once. In meetings, or even during one-on-one conversations, we take pride in our ability to simultaneously keep track of the discussion at hand, monitor emails on our smartphones, text questions and instructions to colleagues, and mentally run through what we have to accomplish once we check this item off our calendars. 'Be Here Now' says just the opposite. Instead of trying to do three, four, or even five things at once, focus all of your attention on the task at hand. Dig into that challenge you need to solve, or that strategy you need to figure out. Mulling over a problem and thinking through alternative solutions requires dedicated time.
Science supports the view that multitasking is largely a myth. Dr. JoAnn Deak, a British psychologist, says research shows the brain can focus deeply on only one task at a time. When we multitask we don't really do two things at once; instead, our brain switches rapidly between tasks. In the short term, says Dr. Deak, multitasking doubles the amount of time it takes to complete a task, and at least doubles the number of mistakes. The long-term effects are even more serious: habitually trying to do too many things at once actually impairs the brain's capacity for deep thinking. In short, multitasking lowers productivity.
'Be Here Now' also means engaging with the person in front of you and blocking out distractions. Giving someone your full attention signals what they have to say is important, and it also ensures you don't miss the verbal and nonverbal cues that enable you to get the whole story. As management expert Steven Covey explains, effective listening requires two things. First, you must listen until the other person believes you understand their point of view, even if you don't agree. Second, to achieve the first objective you must ask thoughtful, open-ended questions to explore the other person's reasoning and uncover what's behind the statements they make. Unfortunately, most of us hear what we want to hear. If we misinterpret or miss part of the message, we blame the other person for failing to communicate clearly. That's not how it works, though. Probing and challenging to uncover new information is a critical step in decision-making. Former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin often ended a conversation by asking, "Is there anything else you haven't told me? Because I don't want you to go down the hall and tell your buddy that I just didn't get it."
As I discovered, focusing solely on the task at hand - especially in conversations - is a hallmark of great leaders. Committing to 'Be Here Now' will make you a better leader, for your own benefit as well as your organization's success.
- contributed by Kim Jaynes, CDM Smith
myself doing more and more mid-day runs from the office. I have a lot of nervous energy and have always struggled sitting behind a computer for multiple hours and I have found that running at lunch time really helps break the day up for me. One thing that I have learned from running is that although I am tired some days and don't feel like running; I always feel better afterwards. I have also found that sometimes good ideas about projects come to me while I exercise." 
urgent. When I need to