Hitting the Pause Button: The Untapped Leadership Skill in Our 24/7 World
Skills - it almost feels like I hear this word more than I hear my toddler calling me "mami" (Spanish for mommy) and that's saying something.
We all have seen how businesses and individuals alike are re-evaluating traditional employment concepts and diving deep into the essence of work itself. The focus has shifted from rigid job descriptions to a more fluid exploration of skills — a lens that prompts the question: what can you genuinely bring to the table? Key HR consulting firms, like Mercer, are already providing tools to decode traditional jobs and begin redesigning what it means to be an employee in your organization, identifying and categorizing what skills are needed for everyone, from a leader to a software engineer, to perform effectively. A big shoutout to my friend and colleague Katie Jenkins, for leading an amazing product.
What has been particularly fascinating to me is that, when it comes to leadership roles, behavioral skills might just have the upper hand over technical expertise. Sure, we’ve all nodded along to the importance of critical thinking, given a thumbs-up to relationship building, and high-fived collaboration. But how often have we given a standing ovation to the seemingly simple act of being still? Now, before you roll your eyes and skip reading, I’m not necessarily diving into meditation, even though it's probably where your thoughts landed with the mention of "be still"—and I must say I am a big fan of it. But in this context, 'stillness' or "inaction" spreads its wings a bit more, embracing the intentional choice to let events roll out at their own rhythm, for a limited period, to allow a pause, a moment for the waters to settle before rowing again. It almost feels counterintuitive, embracing and rewarding the ability for inaction in a ceaselessly moving world, where a 24-hour gap on social media or an hour-delayed email response can signal a lack of priority or interest.
Here’s where I introduce "capsules of inaction"—a term I've recently come up with (look out for a separate blog to tell you all about it) and a skill that is not only necessary but monumentally productive. This concept isn’t about sitting back and letting opportunities slide; it’s about calculated pauses which become your secret weapon in a world obsessed with haste. Within these capsules, your thoughts aren’t bound by immediacy, allowing for an array of options to come into focus. Permitting scenarios to evolve at their own pace during these intervals can expose pivotal details, ensuring that when you do act, it’s with precision and a wealth of information at your disposal. Ever heard the advice, "don't send an email when you are unsettled"? Consider taking a "capsule of inaction" instead.
As we navigate through the uncertain world of skills and demand better leadership in a perpetually moving world, embedding capsules of inaction into our approach might just be the missing puzzle piece. It's a delicate balance to strike, standing still when everything around you is a flurry of activity. Yet, it's within these pauses that clarity blooms and unseen pathways unveil themselves.
I can't help but close this with a self-reflection question: Where can you take a capsule of inaction today?
