{"id":41414,"date":"2025-04-01T23:47:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T06:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=41414"},"modified":"2025-04-01T23:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T06:47:27","slug":"focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/focus\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Listen to the question . . . pause and reflect . . . answer . . . stop talking<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It was 2011. I was sitting in a bland, windowless room in New Orleans, waiting to be legally deposed. I didn\u2019t know anyone there. The corporate attorney sitting next to me was representing my employer, not me. That day, I was surrounded by foes.<\/p>\n

Your Brain at Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Rock is a business consultant who connects brain science with human performance. He wrote Your Brain at Work<\/em> to provide \u201cthe most useful discoveries about the brain in simple language for people at work.\u201d[1]<\/a> He gives practical advice on prioritizing work activities, engaging in tricky conversations, and providing feedback, connecting normal brain functioning to how we act and react. His teaching style is easy to follow, using an ongoing narrative of two professionals as they encountered common workplace struggles. I recommend the book for its concise collection of self-management tips.<\/p>\n

Rock gives terminology and context to some lessons I have instinctually learned. For example, his description of relatedness<\/em> and the brain chemistry when sensing friend or foe<\/em> is helpful to this introvert.[2]<\/a> I am very cautious when it comes to interpersonal relations. It is one thing to be self-aware of my bias for keeping distance. Rock provides the concrete tool of reappraisal<\/em> to navigate the emotional landscape.[3]<\/a> By seeing my own thinking, a foe might turn into a friend.<\/p>\n

The book has lots of other practical tips. Buy a bigger computer monitor. Hide your email window. Let the other person be right to diffuse issues of status and autonomy. Pattern and perfect routine tasks to conserve mental energy. The right level of stress makes me productive. I already knew these things. Now I have words to describe, say, the inverted U and why I don\u2019t finish projects when I’m under too little or too much stress.<\/p>\n

Foes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to the windowless room. I didn\u2019t need David Rock to tell me to watch my back. I was testifying on one of the largest environmental disasters in history.[4]<\/a> Tens of billions of dollars were at stake. In a deposition, whatever I say becomes an open record. My aim was to answer the questions, no more and no less.<\/p>\n

I had to assume that everyone was a foe. Looking for friends would take energy away from my focus of clear, concise, and direct answers. We went through several of the attorneys rapidly. They were in the room to determine if I was a foe to their clients. Then, it was time for questioning by an attorney representing the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I had been warned about him. He made some pleasant opening remarks. David Rock later told me that this was a ploy to get my brain to release oxytocin, to turn a foe into a friend.[5]<\/a> I didn\u2019t change my gaze from the same two-inch spot on the table.<\/p>\n

Listen to the question . . . pause and reflect . . . answer . . . stop talking<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In my preparation, I learned to get into a rhythm for answering questions. This was meant to work on my mindfulness, to stick with what I knew and not embellish. I now understand that the pattern was getting embedded into my basal ganglia.[6]<\/a> My stage\u2014the metaphor Rock uses for the prefrontal cortex\u2014was freed up to understand and recall. Nothing else was getting on the stage.<\/p>\n

Depositions are all about playing defense. I don\u2019t want to give the foe an opening, a new piece of evidence, or a different line of questioning. We went through the usual warm-up. The attorney asked me about my background, qualifications and position with the company. He had no idea that I spent seven years working for an expert witness. I certainly wasn\u2019t going to offer that information.<\/p>\n

Listen to the question . . . pause and reflect . . . answer . . . stop talking<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

His line of questioning moved to a report that one of my employees wrote. Regarding a conservative design assumption, Steve had written that the engineering team should use it because \u201cI\u2019ve seen it happen.\u201d The attorney began hammering me over why Steve\u2019s advice had been ignored, raising his voice a little higher each time he spoke.<\/p>\n

Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned to begin new ventures with low expectations, often joking that I\u2019d rather have them exceeded than be disappointed. David Rock put science to my observation. He noted that \u201cunexpected rewards release more dopamine than expected ones.\u201d[7]<\/a> Conversely, unmet expectations generate a response that reduces prefrontal functioning. Rock\u2019s suggestion is to practice setting lower expectations. I like this guy!<\/p>\n

Listen to the question . . .pause and reflect . . . wait for it<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The plaintiff\u2019s attorney should have read Your Brain at Work<\/em>. His line of questioning had raised his expectations sky high. As he built to a crescendo, both in words and volume, you could see the adrenaline flowing (I know, wrong organ. Work with me here). I have no idea what other actors were on his prefrontal stage, but it was crowded. He was losing his composure. In contrast, I was locked in. The next two minutes were crucial, and I had plenty of energy in the tank. For the first time, I raised my gaze to size up my foe.<\/p>\n

The attorney pounded the table for effect. He pleaded at the top of his lungs, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t they heed Steve\u2019s advice? He knew it was possible! He\u2019d seen it happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen \u2026 Now<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSir,\u201d I began, \u201cYou are confusing the facts. You are using Steve\u2019s report to address internal pressure requirements. The design load Steve advocated was for external pressure. The project designed for it.\u201d I then began dictating a chapter and verse description of everything that was done right. Dopamine all around.<\/p>\n

The attorney was left with unmet expectations. He first objected to my testimony. He then asked the court official how much time was left in his allotment. Unable to restart his prefrontal cortex, he then asked if he could reserve his remaining time for a later date and quietly left the room.<\/p>\n

There is more to the story, but that can wait.<\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> David Rock, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long<\/em> (New York, NY: Harper Business, 2009), vii.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Rock, Your Brain at Work<\/em>, 159-163.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Rock, Your Brain at Work<\/em>, 164.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Understandably, my narrative will be vague on the details. The incident was a tragedy.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Rock, Your Brain at Work<\/em>, 166.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Rock, Your Brain at Work<\/em>, 40.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Rock, Your Brain at Work<\/em>, 145.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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