On Culture: Protecting Your Attention Portfolio

Myste Wylde
Sep 4
6 min read

Dear Culturati Insider,

Do you ever catch yourself clicking aimlessly through tabs, the digital equivalent of walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there? I do. (Guilty on both counts.) Last night, I realized I’d opened six windows without remembering what I was looking for. That small moment of absurdity brought home what economist Herbert Simon observed more than 50 years ago:

“In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is attention. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” (Designing Organizations for an Information-Rich World, 1971)

Half a century later, his words feel prophetic. Attention has become one of the most valuable executive resources. James Williams, a former Google strategist turned philosopher, calls regaining focus “the defining moral and political struggle of our time.” The evidence is everywhere: 83% of workers confess to “productivity theater,” spending hours on the appearance of output without creating real value. (See last week's article on "How AI is exposing the BS economy.")

Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum ranks creativity as the second most critical workforce skill by 2027. But as Natalie Nixon, PhD, notes, there’s a persistent gap between valuing creativity and designing the conditions for it. The leaders who thrive in what she calls the Imagination Era will be the ones who create space for curiosity, renewal, and bold ideas to take root...while still moving fast. Research shows that teams trained in creative problem-solving generate 350% more ideas with 415% greater originality than traditional groups (Thrive My Way, 2024). We’ll explore this tension later in the month with a Culturati: LIVE featuring Dana Larsen, VP of Talent & Development at NXP. (Invite to come.)

History reminds us that these questions are timeless. Long before Slack and screen fatigue, philosophers saw attention as central to meaning and judgment. Blaise Pascal warned that diversions numb our judgment. Friedrich Nietzsche urged us to “learn to see,” not just react. Simone Weil believed attention itself could be a form of love. Today, neuroscience affirms what these thinkers intuited long ago: novelty sparks growth, deep focus fuels meaning, and connection multiplies trust.

But focus alone isn't the full story. As AI absorbs more technical expertise, competitive advantage shifts to those willing to experiment, stay curious, and lead cultures that adapt in real time. One approach is strategic amateurism: intentionally stepping into unfamiliar territory to build the mental flexibility innovation demands.This mindset becomes essential in the face of near-constant disruption, what BCG calls contextual volatility, now responsible for 43% of variation in corporate profit margins. Gallup finds 73% of employees experienced disruptive change in the past year alone. Without reinvention, organizations get stuck in crisis response.

So the challenge isn’t just reclaiming attention, it’s protecting it like capital in order to reinvest in what drives renewal: deep thinking, deliberate learning, and meaningful connection. Cultures that treat focus as a strategic resource are better equipped to translate volatility into resilience and reinvention into advantage.

For the record, what brought me back to reality from window hopping was my dog dropping "Spitty" (her ever-present, ever-slick rubber ball) on my keyboard. Raya may not run a P&L, but she’s excellent at managing my attention portfolio. It's a good reminder that focus doesn't have to be wrangled by force, but by remembering what restores.

Thoughtfully yours,

Myste Wylde, COO

P.S. A reader reached out last week with suggested publications for broadening the mix of sources we share. I’d love to hear from you, too. What publications, articles, or themes are you finding valuable right now? What would you like to see explored in future editions? Your replies help shape what we curate.

The Power of Being an Amateur

Harvard Business Review

By Michelle Taite

Summary: As AI takes on technical expertise and pattern recognition, leaders gain advantage through creativity, adaptability, and curiosity. Research highlights the risk of “cognitive entrenchment,” where mastery dulls flexibility. The antidote is strategic amateurism: intentionally stepping into pursuits where you have no prior experience. Neuroscience shows that novelty triggers dopamine release, strengthens neural connections, and drives plasticity, the foundation of innovation. The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, nearly 40% of skills will need updating, with creativity and lifelong learning topping the list. For executives, regularly embracing productive discomfort outside of work translates into sharper decision-making, openness to bold ideas, and cultures of experimentation that outperform static expertise.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

Why Your Organization Should Focus Less on Productivity and More on Creativity

Fast Company

By Natalie Nixon, PhD

Summary: Most companies are trapped in productivity theater, with 83% of workers admitting to performing busy work that looks valuable but delivers little (Visier, 2023). Burnout now affects 71% of knowledge workers, costing U.S. industries over $300 billion annually in stress-related absenteeism and turnover (Anatomy of Work Index; American Institute of Stress). At the same time, the World Economic Forum ranks creativity as the second most critical workforce skill by 2027. A 2024 study by Thrive My Way found that trained teams in creative problem-solving sessions produced 350% more ideas and 415% greater originality than conventional approaches. With AI handling routine tasks, the differentiator is human imagination. Organizations that redesign work around creativity, renewal, and connection—measuring outcomes through experimentation, idea generation, and well-being—will gain the edge in growth, innovation, and retention while competitors double down on failing productivity metrics.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

Reinvention Through Disruption: Moving From Perpetual Crisis to Collective Adaptability

Center for Creative Leadership

Summary: Executives face a polycrisis shaped by AI, geopolitics, and economic volatility, yet many organizations remain locked in perpetual crisis mode. Constant pivots create change fatigue that undermines performance, commitment, and retention. Research shows 73% of employees report experiencing disruptive change (Gallup), while contextual factors now account for 43% of variation in corporate profit margins (BCG Henderson Institute). Sustainable performance requires shifting from reactivity to collective adaptability by embedding continuous learning, vertical development, and interdependent leadership into culture. Leaders who connect present challenges with future needs and align teams on shared outcomes can turn disruption into resilience and competitive advantage.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

A Crisis of Attention

Philosophy Now

By Dr. Paul M.M. Doolan

Summary: In today’s attention economy, we are drowning in information but starved for focus. Herbert Simon warned that information consumes attention, making it our most limited resource. Former Google strategist James Williams calls the fight to reclaim it “the defining moral and political struggle of our time.” Big Tech thrives by fragmenting our minds, replacing deep, voluntary focus with shallow, reactive distraction. Philosophers from Blaise Pascal to Simone Weil argue that real attention—offered with patience, silence, and intention—is not just productive, but sacred. Yet studies show we now spend less time truly listening, thinking, or seeing. Creativity, trust, and even love begin with how and where we place our attention. Lose that, and we risk losing not just productivity, but our humanity.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

The Most Effective Productivity Hack is the One You Least Want to Do

Vox

By Allie Volpe

Summary: Attention has become the scarcest executive resource in today’s information-saturated economy. Herbert Simon warned that a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and the rise of Big Tech has only amplified that scarcity. Leaders now face what James Williams calls “the defining moral struggle of our time,” reclaiming focus from platforms engineered for distraction. Neuroscience shows that deep, voluntary attention fuels creativity, trust, and meaning, yet most organizations reward speed of reaction over depth of thought. The takeaway is to protect attention as deliberately as capital. Design cultures that prize listening, cultivate solitude, and encourage long-form focus. In doing so, leaders not only unlock higher performance but also restore the human capacity for clarity, connection, and purposeful decision-making.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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