Company Blog
Multitasking Failure
by Adam Zack — May 6, 2020
Multitasking is not a positive trait for a great leader
I always thought multitasking was a positive thing. I’m so good I can read emails, talk on the phone and clip my nails at the same time. I can feed the dog, watch TV and bake cookies all at once. I can drive and text and listen to music while also scratching that itch on my foot. It’s a great thing to be able to do multiple things at once, right? It’s efficiency. It saves time. And it’s never boring, right? About six months ago I was going through emails and talking to DW at the same time. Somehow it came up in the conversation that I was multitasking. Wasn’t I a good employee, being able to do several things at once! He stated that he wasn’t a fan of multitasking. I didn’t understand why, nor was I present enough in the conversation to ask, but it did stick with me.
It wasn’t until a recent Heart of Leadership conference that I finally learned why multitasking is not a positive trait for a great leader. The instructor pointed out that when you are doing multiple things at once, nothing gets 100%. In fact, it’s impossible. I can’t be a good listener if I am doing something else. I can’t effectively solve problems, or do my best work when I am not 100% present in the activity. It makes perfect sense now. It only took 50 years and the insight and wisdom of a great teacher to understand it, but better late than never, right?
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Next time you are talking with someone who is focused on their phone screen instead of looking at you, pay attention to how that makes you feel. Ignored? Unimportant? THAT is a byproduct of multitasking and it diminishes a leader’s ability to effectively communicate with their team.