The biggest threat to your team's focus isn't distraction from outside the business. It could be you. Shawn Vanderhoven, partner at the Wiseman Group, says driven leaders often unintentionally create the very chaos their teams are trying to escape. 

Shawn helped grow his family software company 30-fold before moving into leadership development, later collaborating with Liz Wiseman on the second edition of her best-selling book, Multipliers. 

Drawing on research into hundreds of leaders and employees, Shawn explains why personal productivity habits collapse under team pressure, and what leaders can do instead. He unpacks digital distraction archetypes, why "turning out your pockets" reveals hidden workload, and how tapping the brakes creates space for teams to do their best, most focused work. 

Takeaways  

• Driven leaders often create the very distractions their teams struggle with. 
• Productivity is a social problem, not just a personal discipline issue. 
• Turning out your pockets reveals hidden workload before setting new priorities. 
• Jump-in delegation disrupts focus; tuning in respects existing priorities first. 
• Digital distractors like novelists and arsonists quietly sabotage team focus. 
• Naming your digital wake helps leaders build healthier communication habits. 
• Facing the pain of saying no protects space for real priorities. 
• Labelling ideas as soft or hard opinions prevents unintended instructions. 

Follow Shawn Vanderhoven
https://www.pausebook.co/ 

Shawn’s book
PAUSE: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World with Shawn Vanderhoven https://link.amazon/B0eMnTLXx 

Books recommended 
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. B. Rosenberg https://link.amazon/B0cdlcC0g 

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners 

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Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/ 
Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO 
Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process 
Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster 
Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  

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