In February I was asked what I was going to do after moving away from a local government career I had had for 35 years. “I’m going to Pause and sit still and listen” I said.
When I answered I couldn’t have imagined how those words would resonate right now.
Listening
As I sit and I listen, birds are singing, there is no noise of cars or cyclists passing my home and a strange short-term future emerges as the lockdown begins.
The listening we do now will be amongst the best and most fruitful that most of us will ever have experienced. Listening to understand and not listening to reply or to fix is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Listening of this quality takes time to develop and what better time than this to start.
In her book “Time to Think” Nancy Kline tells us that “most people think they listen well, but they rarely do – not at this level. Listening this way is a radical act”.
I promise you will notice how much richer and fuller your relationships become both in work and at home as a result.
What seeds will you plant now to flourish later?
Last year I was asked by a coach friend (Claire Bradshaw) what seeds will you plant now to flourish later? What a great question that is and how pertinent at this time.
The work and effort we are all putting in now to keep safe, build more meaningful relationships and support each other will allow us to emerge stronger when the time is right. With that in mind I was invited to my first Zoom coffee morning this week with a group of friends and fellow coaches who I hadn’t seen for ages, we’ve talked of meeting up and just never got around to it and yet somehow the current situation has helped us to become closure again and nurture or friendship for the future.
Pause
Part of my enforced therapy, relaxation and, yes, exercise, is reading. And if you know me it has to be books about leadership, NLP or coaching or similar.
Searching on Amazon I came across “Pause” by Karen Mason, a book I was drawn to given its title and message, “Rethinking Leadership to Cultivate Healthy Workplace Cultures” sounds interesting.
I was not disappointed what a fantastic read. Karen skilfully takes the reader on a journey through the workplace and the impact that leaders can have and how they can make this impact positive for themselves and their teams.
Offering opportunities to pause and reflect along the way the book is a joy to read and a must for all new and existing leaders. You can find out more about Karen and her work at www.leadingonpurpose.org.uk
I’m wondering if you would benefit from a good listening to or understand how adopting a listening approach would help your business grow? If you would like help creating the space to rethink your leadership please do get in touch I’m here to help.
