The Power of the Pause
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

Have you ever thought about the power of the pause? In music, a pause draws attention to what preceded the pause. It causes the listener to become more alert and draws them immediately into the moment. Your heightened awareness prepares you to fully take in the melodies and harmonies to follow. With public speaking, the power of the pause is just as profound. It allows the listener to process and think about what was just said. Often, the best speakers will build tension with stories and then break the tension with a bit of humor, followed by a pause, allowing the listener to relax and take in the full message.

This week I am taking a pause. This has been a record year for training at MACNY and for the classes I offer. Quite frankly, I’m tired. I have pushed hard and scheduled more classes, 360 assessments, and coaching sessions than ever before. What has suffered is my thinking and preparation time. I haven’t had the time to reflect on what has been going well, what hasn’t been going well, and what the reflection should have been teaching me. There have been things that I have been doing that I need to stop, there have been things I am doing that I should do more of, and there are things I need to start doing. The problem is that the music has been so loud that I haven’t had a pause to take it all in.

As part of my pause, I am not checking my work emails at all. (Don’t worry, my out-of-office message will tell people who they can contact for information.) I have also prepared my corporate clients for my absence and all my coaching clients have my cell number in the event of an emergency. Everything else can wait until I turn things back on July 1. This disconnect allows me to reflect on what was and prepare for what’s coming, without the noise of right now. While this is a vacation, and I do plan on spending a lot of time with my family, my time spent with a fishing pole in my hand or the time spent in my old wooden boat, will be a perfect time to think. Quiet, purposeful thinking. Even the sound of that is relaxing.

So, what are the expected outcomes? Certainly, some rest and recharging of my batteries. Making new memories as I share precious moments with family, but also clarity on my tasks for the next six months. Clarity of what really went well and what things didn’t bring value and will need to stop. I also hope to get an alignment check on my values and activities. Stay tuned when I return, I am sure I will have some outcomes to share with you.

How about you? When will you take a pause?