Jamie Dimon Does This in Meetings. I Didn't — Until I Realized It Was Costing Me Big
In a world where constant connectivity is celebrated as a skill, the most successful leaders are doing the opposite.
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Key Takeaways
- The article explores how our attention habits in meetings can shape both personal effectiveness and organizational culture.
- It shares insights from a top CEO and personal experiences on managing focus in an age of constant connectivity.
Jamie Dimon doesn’t bring his phone to meetings.
The CEO of the trillion-dollar firm, JPMorgan Chase, said recently that he keeps his phone in his office during the workday, turning off all notifications except texts from his three daughters. When someone needs to reach him urgently, they call his office. During meetings, if he sees someone staring at an open screen, he tells them to close it, calling the behavior “disrespectful.”
For Dimon, it isn’t about control. It’s about something we’ve lost in the age of constant connectivity: presence.
I learned about the importance of being present, both at work and in my personal life, the hard way. Prior to the pandemic, I had all the hallmarks of success: running a highly successful, global organization; a loving family and a career that allowed me to share the stages around the world with icons like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson. But I was also burned out, disconnected and running on empty.
One of the patterns I had to break? The illusion that I could do multiple things at once and do them well.
I tried to lead meetings, but my mind was thinking about getting to the airport on time or responding to follow-up messages about an earlier meeting. At home, I was on my phone, distracted and disconnected from my family. I was physically there, but I wasn’t present. It made me miserable and my loved ones feel neglected.
At work, my staff followed my lead. We believed we were being effective by juggling multiple things at once. When I would look up during a meeting, half of the team was on their phone, while the rest tried in vain to accomplish even basic meeting objectives.
What we failed to understand and what science has since proven again and again is that the concept of multitasking is a myth.
Related: 5 Simple Productivity Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
Your brain can only do one thing at a time
The human brain is incapable of completing more than one cognitive task at a time.
Responding to an email while listening to your colleague’s presentation. Reviewing a contract while participating in a video call. Writing a report while monitoring your inbox. These aren’t things you can truly do simultaneously. Instead, your brain rapidly switches back and forth among competing tasks, resulting in what’s known as a ““.