Maximize Your Superpower by Being Present

We are in the world of convenience. Especially when it comes to convenience of communication. Our phones, watches, cars and Bluetooth devices surround us with ease of information and access to connection. It’s a wonderful thing! Or is it?

Earlier in my career, I was meeting with a prospective client to discuss some financial strategies. It was about an hour long conversation, and when we were nearly wrapped up, the woman I was meeting with asked if I had somewhere to be. “No” I answered, “why do you ask?” She told me that she had noticed me constantly looking at my watch throughout the meeting, and she found it distracting (and also rude). This was a time before smart watches, so mine was just a normal wrist watch. I was mortified!

That interaction taught me a good lesson: be present with others that matter to you. This woman was gracious enough to give me that constructive feedback, but what if she never said anything? What if, instead, she just left the meeting and vowed never to do business with me, nor refer others to do business with me, either. Our presence, and attention, to others matters.

Being present is such a simple thing, but for some reason, our reliance on those technological devices draws our attention away like a squirrel to a nut. Why is that? According to http://www.thetechportal.com “technological distractions (also) allow people to escape and reduce the stress that they feel.” As a society, we have gotten so used to being distracted by notifications on our screens, that the people right in front of us tend to come in last for our attention.

I want to challenge you to change that. The next time you are face to face (or even face to face on a virtual meeting) put your phone away, and make eye contact with the person who is talking. It can actually be a superpower, as you will make others feel heard and validated.