02 Nov Stop, Refresh, Think

I recently heard a quote: ‘If you can’t find ten minutes to meditate, you probably need twenty’.

Now aside from what you might think about the value of meditation, the real message is that leaders need to stop from time to time.  Not only do they refresh, they set a tone for their entire groups to do the same.  It’s seductive to think we’re so critical we must attend to every detail.  No time to waste!  No stone left unattended! No detail too small!  We’re soon riding high, cape on our shoulders just like a super-hero!  And then, it’s too much and we fall flat when an important topic comes along.  Or we miss an opportunity.  Worse yet, we’re simply not at our best.  An unkind word slips and impacts a co-worker negatively.   And in the blink of an eye, we’re come down a peg from the rung we had set for ourselves.

So go ahead, take a break.  Find some joy in something completely different to your work environment.  Your friends and family will thank you for it.  Your team members and colleagues will be delighted.  Best of all, you’ll feel better.

If you can do this once, you can do it regularly.  Better yet, take different kinds of breaks, some just for thinking time.  Grab a paper, article or book.  Look into other industries or sectors.  Spend some time on understanding another part of your business.  See what comes to you in your self-appointed thinking break.  You’ll be surprised.

Stop, Refresh, Think – try it.