Strategic Pause
I recently attended a leadership conference (the Global Leadership Summit) that offered a chance to take a “strategic pause” at certain points throughout the conference. The intent was to reflect on what you had heard and identify any key takeaways, action items, or things that you wanted to implement. What a refreshing idea! At most conferences, it is just one session after another, eventually overloading your brain and turning it into mush. Come to think of it, that might describe your workday – going from one meeting to the next, with no time to think about or follow up on what was discussed in the meetings. Anyone out there stuck in meeting purgatory? Oh sure, you are thinking as you run from one meeting to the next. You might even be thinking as you drive home from work, or as you get ready in the morning. We think about what is next on the to-do list, a text or phone call you need to return, something you need to pick up from the store on your way home from work, or someone who irritated you. That is brain multi-tasking at its finest! But how many of you can say that you add a strategic pause into your routine…carving out time to think deeper, more creative thoughts, or to let the brain roam around a little? To be honest, it seems a little indulgent to just sit around and think. No time for that; your brain is on a tight schedule!
There is one small problem with this busy, no-time-to-stop lifestyle: it doesn’t allow your brain to do its best work. Innovation, creativity, insight, and personal growth are all limited when you do not give them a chance to fully develop. Think of it like a tea bag dropped into a cup of hot water. When you first drop the tea bag in, you can see some color start to seep out into the water. But it is only after it has been allowed to steep that you develop full, rich color and flavor. If you merely dunk the tea bag in and pull it out, you are left with warm water that has a hint of flavor, but not really anything you care to drink. In your haste, you become like warm, barely flavored water. Ugh.
It is counter-cultural to take a strategic pause. Picture yourself sitting at your desk, just…thinking. What would that even look like, and better yet, what would someone walking by think you were doing? (Weirdo.) But don’t let that stop you from giving this a try. The best thoughts and insights of your life are waiting on the other side of that hurdle! With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to help you get started:
1. Time and place – It might not be conducive to sit at your desk and think. Interruptions and distractions are a’plenty, plus you may feel self-conscious (especially at first). Find a place that inspires you, and go there at the time of day when you feel most awake and refreshed. This could be a coffee shop in the evening, or at the library in the middle of the day, or maybe a park where you can find a quiet place.
2. Duration and frequency – Start with an hour or two, and then see what happens from there. Each person has a different sweet spot. You might find you need a half day, or maybe even a full day of time away to think, in which case a lesser frequency (i.e. quarterly) might suffice. Planning is key – you will need to schedule this on your calendar for longer durations, whereas you can probably squeeze in an impromptu hour or two with less advance warning.
3. What to take – This will vary depending on how you plan to use the time, but you will always want some way to record your thoughts. For those who may be tempted by the distraction of technology, go old school and take a blank notebook. Plus, there is something visceral about writing words on physical paper – it engages your brain in a way that typing cannot. You may also want to take notes from work, a book to read, or a podcast to listen to, index cards or sticky notes (great for capturing lots of singular ideas and then sorting and sifting them out), markers or colored pens, etc.
4. What to do – Remove as many distractions as possible (this means you, cell phone), and get settled into your space. Take in the sights, sounds, and smells around you (hopefully they are good smells), and take a deep breath. If your mind is racing, take a few minutes and get all your thoughts out on paper so that you can free your mind to think more strategically.
5. What to think about – There are lots of ways you can use strategic thinking time, but here are a few suggestions:
Read a book (or listen to a podcast, or take in some other thought-provoking content) and pause at the end of each section or chapter. Write out on paper any quotes or thoughts that caught your attention, and then some ways that you could apply the concepts (a la the strategic pause done at the GLS).
Write out all the thoughts or ideas that pertain to a project or problem you are facing on index cards or post-it notes (one thought per card). Lay them all out in front of you and start to sort them into themes and to prioritize the ideas.
Reflect back on an important (or heated) conversation you recently had. What emotions were at play in you and the other person? What were you trying to accomplish? What did the other person want? Did you communicate in the other person’s language or style, or your own? What might you do differently next time?
Make a list of accomplishments, things, or people to be grateful for. Allow yourself to savor and celebrate this list. Find someone that is deserving of your thanks or praise, and write them a handwritten note of appreciation.
Think about what kind of leader you want to be, and what kind of leader you are right now. What characteristics does future-leader-you have? What actions or behaviors would support or prove those characteristics? If there is a gap, what do you need to do to close it?
Play the Where-do-I-want-to-be or What-do-I-want-to-accomplish in 3-5 years game. Then take a look at what is currently on your plate. Are the things you are working on right now going to move you closer to your 3-5 year goals? Are you putting priority on what is urgent (putting out fires), or what is important (strategically working toward your priorities)?
Approach a problem you are trying to solve as if you were from a different industry. How would a retail store solve a healthcare problem, for example? What could a call center learn from a coffee shop? Best practices are not always industry specific. Sometimes we live in the constraints of our own box, when really we need to solve the problem from a totally different angle…or box.
I can pretty much guarantee you that the first time you try taking a strategic pause to think, it is going to feel weird and awkward. Like most things, it gets easier and better with practice. When you walk away feeling more centered, focused, relaxed, and with a greater sense of your next move, you will be glad you gave this a try!