In 2016, resolve to be a more effective leader by trying out these four practices:
Pause more often.
When it feels as though demands are being thrown at you non-stop, taking the time to pause feels counter-intuitive. The natural instinct is to increase your own pace to keep up with the external world—but this results in hasty decisions and ill-conceived ideas. And that’s exactly where your effectiveness as a leader begins to crumble.
A better option is to notice when you’re getting caught up in the momentum of frantic activity, and pause for ten seconds. When someone demands an answer, pause. When an important decision has to be made, pause. Taking this time to relax will prevent you from responding from a place of stress. Make it a practice to never open your mouth until you feel calm. You may feel awkward at first—a ten-second pause in the middle of a presentation, for example, might feel like a long time—but it’s worth it. What’s more, you’ll give your team permission to do the same by demonstrating the practice in action.
Tags: career development