Take a pause.
One of the key professional (and life) disciplines I've learned is to pause. If it's the right decision (or action or activity) today it will also be the right one tomorrow -- what I call the 'pause'. Here are some benefits I've found:
The pause keeps me from overspeaking. Irritations from personality quirks or my own too-tiredness or the emotion of the moment can cause me to say things too harshly or to say too much. When I'm bombarded with new information or asked to participate in a discussion where my words need to be weighed carefully, I use the pause. I find that if I will pause, I can find the right words with the right tone and I get better results.
The pause keeps me from overreacting. I need to ponder what is worth addressing or responding to and what isn't. Pausing allows time to reflect on the circumstance, own my thoughts and feelings, and consider best next steps. Reacting in the moment doesn't always bring good results and sometimes can cause more chaos then solution.
The pause keeps me from making wrong decisions. The spontaneous buy is rarely something I need. If it's worth having today it's worth having tomorrow. Firing off an immediate response to an accusatory email is rarely a good idea. The pause allows me to think through how to respond well and reasonably. Confronting a difficult employee in the heat of frustration is probably not wise. Pausing to think through how to discipline or address the concern is likely to be more fruitful.
There are plenty of other benefits but you get the gist. The pause isn't avoidance -- it's thoughtful response. So now you have professional permission to procrastinate. After all, it's wise to put off to tomorrow what would be poorly dealt with today. I encourage you to join me and embrace the pause.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
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