One of the most common questions I’m asked is “What is the quickest thing I can do to make my leadership presence better? Quickest, easiest, most effective…”

One of the most common questions I’m asked is “What is the quickest thing I can do to make my leadership presence better? Quickest, easiest, most effective…”

My answer is boring and powerful:

PAUSE.

Take a breath, get present, and… pause.

The pause creates space. It creates grace. And it creates a bridge for our next most intentional leadership act.

The pause requires we take a breath, the breath gets us more conscious in our bodies, it all brings us into real time. Right here, right now, what’s what….

This may be in speaking in the moment.

This may be when asked a question you want to answer very intentionally.

This may be when asked a question you do not know the answer to (though you may RUSH to fill in the space because you feel like you should).

This may be when you are about to give feedback to another human being that will influence their emotions, life, leadership, performance, and credibility.

This may be when you are on your mamma or dadda edge in parenting, and you just need a moment.

This may be for your own self-talk when you catch yourself being not so nice to YOU.

This may be a pause on a decision; a pause on a project; a pause in a relationship; a pause in a moment of time in your life to go deep, think, and decide what’s next.

Whatever it is, it’s a pause. It’s space. And it’s yours.

Pause.

Here’s the thing about the pause, it saves us time, energy, and effort. It builds curiosity, trust, and safety. It’s contagious. The more thoughtful we are about OUR responses, our life, our impact, and what we’re creating — the more that gives permission to others to do the same.

I find this over and over again for myself, my colleagues, and clients — their pause gives ME space, my pause gives them space. We create more space together. And in the space is where the magic happens.

Have at it, AND, first… Pause.