TWHS#083: Why You and Your Team Can't Focus (And Two Power Moves That Fix It)

Hey Folks

The summer is over and we're back. 

And it's mayhem out there. The pace is relentless. Priorities shift weekly. Everyone's drowning in a gazillion interruptions every day.  And relationships? They're becoming as shallow as a LinkedIn connection request.

I just spoke with Sean O'Shea, founder of Craft Your Culture on, about what's really happening in tech teams right now. His perspective was eye-opening, and his advice is immediately actionable. 

Here's some highlights from our conversation.  But you can hear it all on the Tech World Human Skills podcast.

The Reality Check

We've moved from an era of distraction to an era of disorientation. Three forces are crushing teams:

Constant change - Companies desperately want to be first with AI, creating endless priority flip-flopping. Teams don’t know what they need to achieve next week, let alone by the end of the year? Chaos. Chaos.

Internal noise - Microsoft's data shows we're hitting 240 interruptions daily. It takes 13 minutes to refocus after each one. We spend our days context switching.

Relationships Declining - We're physically apart, schedules are packed, and people are asking AI instead of colleagues for help. Surface-level relationships can't handle the difficult conversations we need.

Leaders: Two Power Moves

Get Clarity

As Sean put it: "Define what you're aiming at first." Get crystal clear on your goal, then identify the three behaviours your team needs to achieve it. Maybe it's mastering prioritization, handling rejection, or managing virtual teams.

Then reward those behaviours when you see them. Not with money - with recognition in front of the team. When Lisa nails that virtual team management? Call it out. Others will follow.

Become a Relationship Builder

Here's some of Sean's most important advice: "See one of your primary functions to be relationship builders." Ask each team member two numbers: How many people do they know in the company? How many could they call for help?

Your job is to increase both numbers. Why? Because when relationships are strong, people challenge each other, share ideas, and solve problems faster. Weak relationships send all the noise straight to you.

For Individuals: Control the Controllables

Feeling overwhelmed? Sean's reframe technique is powerful: Instead of "I can't do this, I'm not good enough," try "This is difficult, and I'm learning something new."

Your brain responds to that reframe. Control that response, and you maintain executive function when others lose theirs. That's gold in today's environment.

The Bottom Line

In a world where precedents don't exist and rule books are worthless, your ability to work well with others becomes your competitive advantage. AI might democratize capabilities, but human connection and collaboration? That's where you win.

The people who succeed will be those with the strongest relationships to call on.

Listen to the full episode.  Check it out at TechWorldHumanSkills.com.  Or find it on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hope this helps.

BenP

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Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

• Leaders In Tech: Raise the impact of your team.  Make them more influential, memorable and successful.  The Technical Storytelling Professional Program enables them to create clarity, generate energy and drive the results you need.
• Individuals: Accelerate your career and build your reputation.  Develop the skills to help you present,  influence and explain in the tech world.  Check out the Technical Storytelling Essentials or Tech Community Speaker courses.
• Tech World Human Skills Podcast:  The latest episode is "High Performance Teams in Tech" with Sean O'Shea. Check it out on the Elevated You website,  Apple, Spotify, YouTube or Amazon Podcasts.