The Power of Pause

The Tuesday Reading today is a piece, “The Power of Pause”, by Ana Dutra which recently appeared in a Harvard Business Review blog.  Dutra is CEO for Leadership and Talent Consulting and Executive Vice President, at Korn Ferry International.

No leader likes to be called out as tactical, short-term oriented, or for always being in the weeds.  Yet every leader will display all of these behaviors from time to time.  Sometimes such actions are necessary but many times they are not.

So why do people who have the potential to think strategically, empower others, and to prioritize issues choose to micromanage.  Dutra’s answer is that it is not a conscious choice.  Leaders do this too often because they don’t allow themselves to pause and reflect on what really matters.

She goes on to point out that pausing and reflecting enables us to examine our role and more effectively empower others for their roles.  Dutra points out that pauses also create energy increasing our ability to address complex issues.

The next time you face a major issue, create an opportunity to pause – physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Create time and space to empty your mind and then reflect and sort out the issues.  You’ll move forward more effectively.

.  .  .  .  .   jim