The wintering of leadership is something that’s been resonating with me these days as I take the time to sit back, enjoy some solitude and reflect. As leaders we’re often very focused on outward leading – the decisions we must make, the actions that need to be taken, and achieving the goals that we’ve made. However at the start of a new year, during this time of hibernation, we need to take the opportunity to look within ourselves.
Taking the Time to Reflect
At this time of year there is a lot of focus on – and controversy about – New Year’s resolutions. What I encourage my clients to do is not make resolutions, but instead to be resolute about creating time in their schedules for even just a few minutes of reflection each day. To reflect about the decisions that need to be made, actions that need to be taken, and to bring themselves back to a place of balance. By doing this you’re able to lead from a place of balance and stability. We all know that we make better decisions and solve problems easier when we’re operating from a balanced perspective.
Many leaders find themselves asking how they can take the time to sit in solitude and reflect when there are so many other things they need to do. When there are so many other things in our lives requiring time and energy such as our teams, companies, goals, and our families, it can be difficult to find the time to sit quietly and reflect. Yet it’s vital we make the time in our busy lives for self-care and reflection.
The month of January always seems to fly by, and it can be a struggle sometimes to press the pause button and take the time to look within. I don’t have the perfect solution for accomplishing this, other than knowing that it requires an inner awareness and resolute mindset to make the time to sit back and reflect. To think about what you what in life, what you want to create in the world, and what you want for your team, your company, and your customers. I believe sitting with a question is much more important than the multitude of answers that may come to you. The real goal as a leader is to sit in that inquiry, sit in that question, and see what answers come to us.
The Importance of Breath
One of the most important practices to support you moving to a place of solitude is focusing on your breath. Those of our readers that practice yoga, or other quiet types of practices like meditation, probably already have some really great practices for breath awareness. Yet even they may struggle with taking these practices from a quiet, meditative place and into their busy work lives. Whether you’re answering emails, reading your text messages, listening to your voice mail, or sitting in a meeting, ask yourself where your breath is originating from in that moment.
If you notice your breath originating from a place high in your body, then you’re operating from an action and goal driven state of mind. If you concentrate on bringing that breath down lower in your body, if you focus on breathing from deep in your belly – from your center – you allow yourself to operate from a much more centered, heart and mind perspective. From this place your heart and mind are able to act together as one organism, and you can tap into the emotions and thoughts you have in that moment.
Start Practicing Reflection Today
I would like to encourage each of you to make the time in your busy schedules to reflect, develop a sense of inner awareness, and discover a place of balance from which you can go about your daily routines. You may be surprised how much good these few quiet moments of solitude and reflection can do for you as a leader.
Is this something new for you, or perhaps something you’ve already made a habit of doing? If you have any other suggestions for people creating this time in their schedules, ideas for getting to a quiet place of reflection, or would like to share the benefits you’ve found from this practice, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
