Strategies for Building a Distraction-Free Team Culture

They’re not avoiding work. They’re avoiding you. Let’s be real: 👉 They’re not dodging deadlines. 👉 They’re dodging toxic cultures, ego-driven meetings, and micromanagers with trust issues. Remote work didn’t create disengagement. It revealed how broken the culture already was. ☕️ People don’t want free coffee. They want freedom. Trust. Purpose. Adam Grant said it best: “If you want people to show up more often, make it worth the trip.” ❌ Stop blaming the commute. ✅ Start fixing the culture. ➡️ Here’s a better strategy than just issuing mandates: 1️⃣ Start with feedback. → Ask your team what they love and what drives them crazy. Then fix it. 2️⃣ Kill the noise. → Reduce meetings. Stop micromanaging. Respect deep work. 3️⃣ Make it meaningful. → Don’t just call people in for updates. Use in-office time for high-trust, high-impact collaboration. 4️⃣ Build culture, not control. → Create a space that values autonomy and inclusion. 5️⃣ Lead by presence, not pressure. → Be someone people want to work near, not just for. 👇 Agree or disagree? Let’s hear it. 🚀 Join 77,000+ leaders reading my daily science-backed tips on leading high-performing teams using mindset, habits and systems. No vague recommendations. All backed by science and experience. ➡️ Follow me Harry Karydes

Why Leaders Must Put Down Their Phones—And What to Do About It We check our phones dozens of times a day, but the real cost isn’t just lost time—it’s lost leadership. Groundbreaking research from The University of Texas at Austin and others shows that just having your phone nearby—even if it’s off—reduces your brain’s available cognitive capacity and focus. 💡 Participants who had their phones in another room scored up to 11% better on cognitive tests than those who had their phones on the desk. For leaders, this “brain drain” is especially dangerous. When your attention is fragmented by your phone, you: • Miss subtle cues from your team • Struggle to make high-quality decisions • Model distracted behavior that your team will copy • Undermine trust and presence—key ingredients for influence and inspiration Constant phone use also stunts leadership development. When you’re always available, your team becomes dependent on you for every decision, stifling both their growth and yours. 💡 Research shows phone distractions can lower work efficiency by up to 20% and increase error rates after interruptions by over 20%. What Can Leaders Do Right Now? ↳ Keep Your Phone Out of Sight: Place your phone in a drawer or another room during deep work or meetings. Out of sight, out of mind. ↳ Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications: Mute all but critical alerts to reduce temptation and interruptions. ↳ Schedule Phone-Free Work Blocks: Set specific times for focused, phone-free work. Use timers or “focus mode” features. ↳ Model Digital Discipline: Show your team what real presence looks like. Be fully engaged in conversations and meetings—no phones allowed. ↳ Create “No-Phone” Zones: Establish clear boundaries for device use during meetings, brainstorming sessions, and one-on-ones. ↳ Use Technology to Fight Technology: Leverage apps that block distractions or track your phone usage to build better habits. ↳ Take Real Breaks: Encourage yourself and your team to take breaks without phones—go for a walk, journal, or connect face-to-face. Leadership in 2025 demands more than multitasking and constant connectivity. It requires deep focus, presence, and the ability to inspire others—qualities that can be eroded by unchecked phone use. The science is precise: putting down your phone is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to reclaim your leadership edge. Follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #leadership #executivecoaching #technology #mindset

My team was under attack—I had to defend them! The attacks were meetings. Constant, random, unproductive meetings. So, I set up “Meeting-Free Tuesdays.” To my surprise, having no meetings actually turned out to be a lot of work… The goal of Meeting-Free Tuesdays was to enable my team to be more productive. It seemed straightforward, but then I realized just how many people love to set up meetings at random. This is what started happening: Stakeholders: "C'mon, we can just have a quick meeting to figure this out!" Me: "Sure. On Wednesday. With an agenda and only the necessary people invited." Repeat. A lot... I also had to be clear with my team about why I was willing to fend off meetings on Tuesdays. Although they loved having no meetings, after a few Tuesdays I learned I needed to clarify that they had a part in this too. First, I needed them to report any "meeting request attacks" so I could provide leadership cover when they declined. Second, I needed them to not waste their own time—turn off alerts and reduce disruptions as much as they could. The whole goal of Meeting-Free Tuesdays was to provide them with uninterrupted time to think, get work done, and get into flow. I could hold off the meeting assaults, but they needed to protect their own time from all the other possible distractions. This eventually worked so well that I pushed for Meeting-Free Thursdays as well. The more time we give people to get into flow, the more productive they’ll be. It wasn’t easy, but it worked. What are some ways you protect your organization’s time?