The Power of The Pause


By SkyeTeam on June 10, 2014

Posted by SkyeTeam | June 10, 2014The Power of The PauseIn Part 1 of this series, we addressed the different types of attention – the “what” to focus on: focus on self, focus on others, and focus on the outer world.  In Part 2, we focused (get it?) on the “how,” and the impact of power on the level of focus we offer.Now it’s time to take a breath.  Too busy for that?  Read on.  Goleman devotes an entire chapter to the concept of “mindfulness.”  As he puts it, “mindfulness develops our capacity to observe our moment-to-moment experience in an impartial, nonreactive manner.”  Why is this important?  Because as we’ve been saying throughout this series, we’re busy people.  We have many demands and many distractions, and we need to be efficient to be effective.  Part of this involves taking a break.  Did you know that multi-tasking is actually less efficient than focusing on one thing at a time?  When you try to multi-task, you diminish your effectiveness at both (or all) of the tasks.  It can take up to 15 minutes for you to regain full focus on any one task.What to do?  Be disciplined about taking a breather; pausing to reflect and think.  Protect that time.  Goleman includes a quote from former Medtronic CEO Bill George, “Today’s leaders are besieged.  They’re scheduled every fifteen minutes throughout the day, with thousands of interruptions and distractions.  You need to find some quiet time in your day just to reflect.”  This provides a valuable and necessary opportunity to pick our heads up out of the weeds and focus on the big picture, the long plan, look ahead to the future.So put it on your calendar and make it a priority.  You’ll be better equipped to use the three types of attention and to deliver that focus fully.  You’ll be a more effective and more productive leader, and you’ll be able to set the example for others.  And that is good leadership.Related ArticlesTags »Emotional Intelligence Share