We know that we are failing to lead with the kind of excellence that we are innately capable of exhibiting. Missed opportunities, lack of innovation, ethical mistakes, and loss of productivity can be the result. And that isn’t even the end of the story! The personal and professional impact of this day-to-day autopilot existence is burnout and disengagement. We begin to feel as though we are simply going through the motions, or barely making it through the day. We lose our passion, our joy and our motivation. We miss our lives and when we are not present for the moments of our life, there is no chance that we can lead with the kind of excellence we need today. This is true whether we are talking about leading our own lives, a team, an organization, a classroom or a medical practice. We simply can’t afford to have such widespread disaffection. We live in a time when we need to take advantage of every leadership opportunity that comes our way. So, is there a simple way to begin to support leadership development and cultivate the ability to lead with excellence? Happily, there is.
The Purposeful Pause
This simple exercise can be a powerful beginning to more clearly see how you are meeting your life and the choices you are making each day. It can also be the space that allows you to discover again the focus, creativity and compassion that are easily lost in lives that are filled with too much busyness and too many distractions. Try it for a week. What do you have to gain? Note: The Purposeful Pause is part of the mindful leadership curricula from the Institute for Mindful Leadership (www.InstituteforMindfulLeadership.org).
