“Poirot,” I said. “I have been thinking.”
“An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.”
― Peril at End House
I grew up with a dad who was always on the go. To avoid being given more chores my sister’s and I became experts at looking busy. Especially when he walked by! Most work environments operate the same way. It is important to look busy all the time. It’s a badge of honor to talk about how unbelievable busy one is! As you move into leadership roles it often becomes true that every moment could be double-booked if you let it. This leaves very little room for quiet thinking. Instead we just move from one activity to the next without a pause.
Part of being a leader is having a vision, setting company direction and the gift of painting a picture others want to be a part of. That is probably not going to happen if you do not give yourself a time for thinking. It is hard to be creative and forward-thinking when all you do all day is move from one crisis to the next. If you want to be a brilliant leader give yourself a weekly thinking time. One client I work with marks it in her work calendar as a meeting. No one has to know that it is a meeting for her to be alone and think! Are you ready to try this? Here are the steps to take…
Thinking Time
- Schedule at least an hour per week.
- Find a room and time that works for you.
- Turn off email alerts and the sound on your phone.
- Have a binder or your laptop to take notes on.
- Sit quietly and wait for ideas to come.
- When they come write them down.
- No ideas? No problem. Just relax and enjoy the quiet.
So often, when we get a great idea we want to run out and share it with someone. While there are some that maybe should be shared immediately most ideas need to simmer in safety. Allow yourself some time to develop them. If you share too quickly other’s may just try to poke holes in the ideas before they have had time to mature. When you are ready carefully share it with someone you respect. After you get their feedback you can decide if the time is right to share it with your team.
Thinking time is truly the key to becoming a brilliant leader!
Have an Amazing Monday (and everyday!)
Leanna Fredrich, Leadership, Career and Stress-Management Consultant
Leanna@amazingmondays.com