The leadership pause

I am preparing for my annual August sabbatical and I’ve been reflecting on the concept of pausing, specifically the leadership pause. A majority of the leaders I know are constantly in the throes of movement being ping ponged from one crisis to another. There is a lot of stimuli in our world today, news headlines are full of volatility, social media competes for our attention and the pace of life has quicken. With this backdrop, leaders must find pause (daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually) to lead well.

What is a pause?

A pause is an intentional act to step back temporarily, to disengage with a current pace or reality. Pauses interrupt us from habitual patterns, locked perspectives, rushing through life and making decisions with tunnel vision. When we pause, there’s no goal in mind, we allow the moment to unfold. Pauses come in many forms. There are momentary pauses where we stop to take in a beautiful sunset or a quick centering breath before a zoom call. Then there are short, daily pauses that might be part of our daily routine, a morning prayer, meditation or walk. Weekly pauses are also available to us, these pauses allow us to refresh after a long work-week. Weekly pauses might be a long hike, slow Sunday mornings or gardening. Lastly, there are planned pauses, these are monthly, quarterly or yearly opportunities to completely upend your daily routine, be offline, ponder, connecting to your inner compass.

Planned pauses are my favorite. My business partner and I made a decision several years ago to orient our business towards two annual extended pauses, lasting 4-6 six weeks each. It has been one of our best decisions. It’s so embedded in our business ethos that our clients often inquire how we are spending our pause. They see us consistently practicing what we espouse - leaders must pause and reflect.

I usually take a summer sabbatical in August where I solo travel to a completely new country with no specific agenda. I allow myself to go with the flow. My main goal is to be a flaneur — a French term for anyone who wanders, loafs, roams idly without purpose on purpose while observing people and their surroundings. In 1790, Jean-Jacques Rosseau wrote:

Never have I thought so much, never have I realised my own existence so much, been so alive, been so much myself…as in those journeys which I made alone and afoot.

During mid-December to February, I take a winter sabbatical. I unwind for the year, typically at home, loafing, allowing for spaciousness as the New Year unfolds. Both pauses serve as my own personal portal to greater resonance to the life I am building. I return to my business and life with greater discernment, full of new ideas, and deepen inner confidence.

This post is an invitation and reminder that pauses are available to you. It might not look like mine. Shoot, my current pauses doesn’t look like the pauses I took ten years ago. Back then it involved pausing with young children, poor health and a demanding corporate leadership role. Needless to say, it has evolved. Wherever you are, this is an invitation to find your pause on a daily, weekly, quarterly, yearly basis. Identify how and when you will take them and protect this time at all cost.