Pressing the Pause Button on Leadership Goals

Jon Lokhorst, CPA, CSP, PCC Leadership Coach, Your Best Leadership LLC
Enhancing Your Ability to Lead

“The pace of change will never again be as slow as it is today.”

I’ll never forget the first time I noticed this quote (said famously by Matthew Bishop at the Economist’s Innovation Forum in 2015). I was attending a keynote presentation at a major industry conference when the quote showed up on the big screen. I immediately recoiled at the idea. I thought, “Shoot—I was hoping to catch a break sometime along the way.”

But Bishop is right—the pace is quickening, and there’s no end in sight. Emerging new technologies, elevated client and customer demands, changing demographics, labor shortages, and economic uncertainties are just a few of many dynamics we face at a macro level. Add the stress of running a business, leading a team, or meeting deadlines, and it’s like we’re running nonstop on a gerbil wheel. It’s no wonder many leaders are left gasping for air.

Of course, there’s great danger in riding on an adrenaline-charged high or getting swept up in the whirlwind of a fast-paced, high-change environment. I see this often in my work as an executive leadership coach. Unfortunately, fatigue, anxiety, burnout, and dysfunction are rampant in many organizations, especially at the manager level. That, in turn, has a damaging impact on the rest of the organization.

A report from meQ, an organization that describes itself as the world’s leading workforce resilience expert, found that managers are 36% more likely to report feelings of burnout than non-managers. In the same study, managers were found to be 24% more likely to consider quitting their jobs than non-managers. Additionally, employees of those managers feel less supported, making them 4.5 times more likely to be a turnover risk.

This then begs the question: How can you prevent yourself from being on the wrong side of these statistics while still accomplishing your most important goals as a leader? I believe it starts by hitting the pause button.

PAUSE TO RECALIBRATE

I know it seems counterintuitive, but sometimes you need to slow down or pause to go faster toward something—in this case, your leadership goals. I recommend scheduling a personal off-site meeting that allows you to get away from your office and normal routines for a bit. Also, make sure to leave behind the distractions of electronic devices and grab a notebook and pen to recalibrate.

As you break away, fight the “tyranny of the urgent” to focus on what’s truly important by asking yourself these three questions:

1. What’s most important in my life? The best leaders start with self-leadership, built on a strong personal foundation. Get clarity about your vision (Where are you going?), purpose (Why do you do what you do?), and values (What’s most important to you?). According to Daniel Pink, author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” a compelling purpose is the most potent source of motivation and fulfillment.
2. What’s most important in my business? Whether you’re an owner or an employee, think of your job as a business. Ultimately, your success comes from how well you serve your customers (internal and external). Consider what these customers need, the problems they have, and what you have to offer them. Explore new and better ways to serve your customers without them asking. That’s the starting point for innovation and strategic thinking.
3. What’s most important in my work? Assess whether you devote enough time and attention to high-value, high-impact endeavors, as opposed to letting your email inbox or other distractions run your workday. To get better as a leader, find ways to delegate, automate, or eliminate low-value tasks so you can focus on what’ll be transformational to your business, employees, and customers.

Before you wrap up your time, review your notes, highlighting the most significant insights and takeaways. Identify those areas where you need to make changes in your leadership approach, work-life decisions, and daily routines. Share them with a trusted colleague, friend, coach, or mentor, asking them to hold you accountable to those actions.

INCORPORATE THE PAUSE BUTTON INTO YOUR ROUTINE

According to a recent Forbes article, Apple CEO Tim Cook starts each day around 5 a.m. with a period of intentional solitude. As Cook says, the early morning is “the part of the day that I can control the most. As the day starts to unfold, it becomes less predictable.” For Cook, that moment of solitude and silence provides critical focus time before he jumps into the demands of running one of the world’s largest and most successful companies.

How can you build Cook’s practice into your leadership? It’s easier said than done, right? Here’s what I often suggest to my coaching clients: If a daily routine doesn’t seem feasible, schedule a weekly appointment with yourself. Insert it on your calendar and guard it like you would your most important meeting of the week. Further, enlist your team’s help to preserve this uninterrupted time for high-value work.

This is a great application for what I call the “branch office.” Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can get away, such as your favorite coffee shop, public library, hotel lobby, or local park. For example, I once spent a highly refreshing afternoon sitting at a picnic table in one of Chicago’s amazing public parks. During this time, reflect on the three questions I mentioned earlier and record your thoughts in a notebook or journal. Put the ideas that emerge from these sessions into action.

Remember, be patient with yourself throughout the process—you won’t discover something profound every time you step away and pause. However, using the pause button from time to time to give consistent, focused attention to the important versus the urgent will fuel incremental change. And, in some cases, it’ll lead to significant breakthroughs. Over time, you’ll find that you’re moving further and faster toward your goals.

Related Content:

• Build Your Leadership on a Strong Personal Foundation: Your capacity for growth as a leader requires a strong foundation—start building it by answering these four questions.
• See How ‘FAR’ Your Leadership Can Go: Building flexibility, agility, and resilience are the keys to future-proofing your leadership.