Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
Written by Daniel Goleman
Narrated by Daniel Goleman
4/5
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About this audiobook
In Focus, Psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman, author of the #1 international bestseller Emotional Intelligence, offers a groundbreaking look at today’s scarcest resource and the secret to high performance and fulfillment: attention.
Combining cutting-edge research with practical findings, Focus delves into the science of attention in all its varieties, presenting a long overdue discussion of this little-noticed and under-rated mental asset. In an era of unstoppable distractions, Goleman persuasively argues that now more than ever we must learn to sharpen focus if we are to survive in a complex world.
Goleman boils down attention research into a threesome: inner, other, and outer focus. Drawing on rich case studies from fields as diverse as competitive sports, education, the arts, and business, he shows why high-achievers need all three kinds of focus, and explains how those who rely on Smart Practices—mindfulness meditation, focused preparation and recovery, positive emotions and connections, and mental “prosthetics” that help them improve habits, add new skills, and sustain greatness—excel while others do not.
Daniel Goleman
Daniel Goleman, a former science journalist for the New York Times, is the author of thirteen books and lectures frequently to professional groups and business audiences and on college campuses. He cofounded the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning at the Yale University Child Studies Center (now at the University of Illinois, at Chicago).
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Reviews for Focus
288 ratings23 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The book actually lacks focus. The useful things are 1/4 of the book, the rest is anecdotes not really on context and a political manifesto.
3 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5too many rabbit trails... not enough FOCUS. Disappointed in this book because his other, Emotional Intelligence, was clearly more cohesive. Mr. Goleman started strong with a narrow focus on a clear target but kept illustrating minor points with extensive research. Bottom line, focus your attention on one thing at a time.
3 people found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5pretty basic
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Author uses the topic of focus as a soapbox for environmental issues. Nothing wrong with learning about environmental issues, but not in a book about focus. Avoid this book.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5For a book about focus he sure does seem to ramble a lot.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved great talk on one of the most if not the best tool for achieving goals in life
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I liked it because the main ideas were supported by facts or ongoing investigations. Besides, Daniel introduces us in the way our brains work. I think it's an excellent book that will give you a different perspective on how to achieve your focus.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book and Audio excellents, I will listen again now. Tks
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fantastic book full of a lot of wise insights
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5It was unnecessarily too long and boring, I hope it can be rewritten more explicitly
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Wolfe in sheep’s clothing! This book had little do with focus, and had much more spewing of WOKE ideologies! “The Great Reset” plan disguised as a self help book on obtaining focus! Chapters 15 & 16 were the only chapters worth looking into! The author states being part of the “Elite” and has attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Surely not my favorite book on my reading list. I believe there could have been much better ways to explain this subject which is an interesting subject. Maybe we can have a different way of writing this topic to help assist people who are looking for solutions to this.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such strategically informative material that will change the way you use focus your attention in relationships, business, work and life!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the top 150 books I have ever read
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent book. Highly recommended to those who has diffculty focusing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So deep & rich , love it!? a lot of information so, requires total focus!?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book, full of eye opening data.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5In a bit of irony, this book lacks focus. It's a decent survey of the overall importance of focus, but it ranges from light neuroscience, to environmental activism on, to leadership. Aside from mindfulness and breathing, there's nothing prescriptive in here for achieving greater focus individually or as a society. Don't bother.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first half of this book was fascinating. It presents excellent information and insight into how our brains work with regard to attention and focus.
The second half was really just a collection of anecdotes about high powered people and how they succeed or fail at managing focus. It was ok, but not really very informative. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5All the online reviews which point out the irony of this book's complete lack of focus are exactly right. It is a grab bag of short and superficial treatments of diverse subjects which have all been treated better elsewhere. Many of the subjects have only a tangential relationship to what is apparently the main topic of the book, namely attention. For example, global warming gets a guernsey because it is an important problem, so we should all pay attention to it!. And writing about the marshmallow test as if you're not the 98th person to do so in print is an insult to the reader's intelligence.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Now focus. I’m going to tell you something important. And...shhhh...it’s a secret. Ready? Okay, here it is: The most important thing is...focus. Yes, focus. So, are you doing that? If you aren’t, could you please try it? Yes, focus. I’m telling you it’s important. Simple. But important. So let’s all go out there and focus.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Goleman's book is a bland melange of politically correct truisms and resume wagging claiming to be science/advice/insight. Claims focus is the key to excellence but spends most of his time talking about mindfulness and saving the world. Title should have been, "Mindfulness can save the world," but that would not have flown off the business shelf at the airport news stand. Goleman is a narcissistic bore. Half his anecdotes seem to revolve around another line on his resume. The story of the online poker fiend ends with the rounder purchasing a copy of one of Goleman's books. Oh, and didn't you know, it was Goleman not Malcolm Gladwell that first reported on the whole 10,000 hours to mastery concept. Goleman is more than happy to spend an irrelevant chapter telling you so.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In "Focus" Daniel Goleman takes a wide-ranging perspective on the subject of attention. Goleman explains how what individuals and organizations focus on impacts learning, creativity, relationships, parenting, emotional intelligence, systems, gaming, the environment, leadership, and more. Goleman admits in an endnote that such breadth of coverage precludes depth of explanation. However, he provides a helpful section on resources for those wanting to explore in more depth topics the book touches on. Goleman does a good job in identifying the role of focus in many aspects of our personal and organizational lives. His lively writing style stimulates the reader’s curiosity to want to know more. Goleman mentions some ways we can increase focus, but this is not a how-to book. Goleman gets us to pay attention to the importance of focus. The reader will need to explore other resources to learn the skills for strengthening focus.