The Attention Dilemma: Are You Focusing on the Right Thing?

In today’s hyper-connected world, we’re told that capturing attention is the key to success. Get enough views, clicks, and followers, and you’re set. Right? Well, not exactly. What if this obsession with attention isn’t just misleading—but actively dangerous for your business?

Let’s dive into how chasing attention can blind you, trap you, and ultimately lead to missed opportunities, and what you can do to refocus on something far more valuable.

The Attention Mirage: Why It’s a Trap

Chris Hayes, in his book The Sirens’ Call, argues that our attention has been hijacked, turned into a commodity to be bought and sold. The problem? Attention is fickle. It moves. It changes. It disappears.

Businesses and leaders often fall into the trap of chasing trends and viral content to stay relevant, but here’s the kicker: when you’re fixated on the spotlight, you miss the horizon. You fail to notice market shifts, emerging competitors, and the silent, powerful undercurrents of change.

5 Signs You’re Fixated on Attention (and Heading for Trouble)

1. You’re prioritising short-term metrics over long-term value.
   • Are your KPIs focused on likes, views, or impressions rather than sustainable growth or customer retention?
2. You’re stuck on a single platform or marketing channel.
   • If all your efforts are on dominating Instagram or TikTok, what happens when the algorithm changes?
3. You’re constantly reacting instead of proactively innovating.
   • If you’re always responding to the latest trend, you’re not setting one.
4. You resist pivoting, even when the signs are clear.
   • Have you invested so much in a strategy that you refuse to change course, even as its ROI dwindles?
5. You measure success by external validation, not internal progress.
   • If your confidence is tied to how much attention you receive rather than tangible business growth, it’s time for a reset.

The Hidden Cost of Chasing Attention: Stagnation and Missed Opportunities

When you focus on capturing attention at any cost, you’re building on quicksand. Consider these real-world examples:

• NineMSN: Once one of Australia’s leading online portals, it failed to adapt its offering as the internet landscape shifted toward mobile-first, social, and video-heavy platforms, eventually falling out of relevance.
• Fairfax Media: The iconic Australian publisher focused on its legacy print business for too long, missing opportunities in digital, resulting in its merger with Nine Entertainment after years of financial struggles.
• Shoes of Prey: Once a successful custom shoe retailer, it expanded too quickly, believing its growing attention guaranteed long-term success. But when consumer preferences shifted, the company failed to pivot in time, leading to its closure.
• Dick Smith Electronics: The Australian electronics giant initially thrived, but its over-reliance on traditional retail attention while ignoring online competitors caused its downfall.

Attention is not a strategy; adaptability is. Companies that pivot, innovate, and prioritize long-term growth consistently outperform those chasing temporary spikes in visibility.

Shift Your Mindset: What to Focus on Instead

The answer isn’t just “stop paying attention.” It’s redirecting attention to things that actually drive future success:

1. Value Creation:
   • How are you solving problems for your customers, not just entertaining them?
2. Market Intelligence:
   • What emerging trends or weak signals are you ignoring while chasing what’s popular now?
3. Core Competency:
   • Are you refining what you do best, or spreading yourself thin?
4. Agility:
   • Do you have a system in place to quickly pivot when the market demands it?
5. Deep Engagement:
   • Are you building genuine relationships with your audience, or just counting followers?

The Real Wake-Up Call: Attention Disappears—Value Endures

As Hayes notes, attention is valuable in aggregate for companies like Google and Meta. For individual businesses, however, it’s fleeting. When your strategy is tied to something that can vanish overnight, you’re building a fragile foundation.

Consider this: Canva rose to global success not because it chased fleeting attention, but because it continuously adapted to customer needs, simplified design processes, and expanded its product offerings to serve emerging demands.

On the flip side, Aussie Farmers Direct, a once-thriving food delivery service, failed because it relied on its initial buzz without evolving its distribution or pricing model in time. For additional insights, explore this article on lessons learned from failed Australian businesses.

Self-Assessment: Are You Building for the Long Term or the Short Term?

Ask yourself:

• If your primary source of traffic disappeared tomorrow, would your business survive?
• Are you collecting attention without converting it into sustainable growth?
• Are your internal teams spending more time chasing short-term wins instead of building innovation pipelines?
• When was the last time you pivoted based on new market data rather than a viral trend?
• Do your resource allocations reflect your long-term growth goals?

If any of these questions make you pause, you’ve found your next priority.

A Practical Tool to Pivot: Downloadable Action Plan

To help you realign your focus, download our free Attention vs. Value Audit Template. This simple tool will guide you through:

• Identifying resource drainers.
• Setting measurable long-term KPIs.
• Reallocating efforts toward value-driven goals.

Final Thought: Your Future Depends on What You Build Today

Attention may get you noticed, but only value will keep you relevant. Every successful pivot, innovation, or market capture starts with building something enduring—beyond the noise, beyond the moment.

The businesses that will thrive tomorrow are the ones investing today in adaptability, long-term growth, and meaningful relationships. Don’t just chase what’s trending—create what’s transformative.

About Morris Misel

Morris Misel, a globally recognised business futurist, has spent over 40 years helping organisations anticipate and navigate the future. From keynote presentations to bespoke workshops, he brings human-centric foresight and actionable strategies to industries worldwide. Connect with him to future-proof your business and uncover the opportunities that lie ahead.

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