Pausing to Propel
Recently I was having dinner with a former colleague and she referred to ‘those of us’ who are workaholics. The comment gave me pause, as I’ve never used that word to describe myself, and don’t think of myself as a workaholic. In fact, I’ve often prided myself on working smarter, far more than working harder (potential clients please read this through to the end as you’ll see how, with some reflection, I proved myself wrong….sigh).
As I was chewing on that statement, a common theme also kept sliding into my conversations with very diverse leaders. Desiring a better future is the common denominator for many leaders, especially the ones I most enjoy working with. Regardless of what their current focus is, whether streamlining operations, effectively resourcing projects or aligning business practices across all department functions, leaders are constantly thinking about how to make ‘it’ better. In fact, the consistent reason that leaders tell me for choosing this path of added responsibility is a desire to make impactful change.
With this central force as a core driver, what’s getting in the way? Once again the topics are varied, however I’m sure relatable to many: complacency and lacking motivation, overwhelm and not knowing where to start, mistrust in the system that the intent matches the message; and these blocks can exist at all levels. It’s not easy to narrow focus to a clear goal, and also be confident that it’s the right path. What ifs are unrelenting and the resulting frustration is directly at odds with the initial motivation to improve.
So, what to do? I’m an avid proponent of pausing. Allowing our brains to break sets the conditions for percolating. What this looks like in practice can take varying forms. Perhaps pausing the grind on a project to take a step back to revisit the foundational plans, and assessing how aligned the progress is to those desired outcomes. The pause could also occur prior to starting, especially if people aren’t enthusiastic about what’s happening. Simply chatting with key players can help understanding, as well as catching what may be overlooked, which can make all the difference. Lastly, and this one can be applied with minimal effort regularly, is a reflective walk. I practice this one often and encourage it with leaders as well; it’s amazing how moving the body while processing tangled complexities can result in clarity in the path forward.
If many of us are continually striving to find a way to make work function better, the endless opportunities to do so will forever keep us in this place of workaholism. The cognitive load of processing various components doesn’t shut off when the laptop closes. It requires deliberate breaks and attention to the multitude of priorities and responsibilities in our lives. But for leaders, the itch is ever persistent, and therefore requires deliberate breaking. Ironically, the pausing is also what allows us to propel.
And it’s this irony that brings me back to that label as a workaholic. After all, for who are pauses required for than those who most need them?