HOW YOU PAUSE IS

HOW YOU PERFORM

13th of September 2020

How do you regularly press the “pause button” of your ongoing movie channel of thoughts and problem solving? Pause is your moment to relax and recover. Pause is not checking mails, messages and making calls between two meetings. The Art of Pausing is stepping in your personal lounge for refreshing your mind and boosting your energy. Sometimes it only takes a deep breath. A Pause can also be a moment of silence. It has a relevant impact on your next move and pays off in better performance with often unexpected results. HOW YOU PAUSE IS HOW YOU PERFORM, especially when work has no “pause button”.

Lately a lot of clients feel overwhelmed and stressed with the ongoing pressure of performance, moving targets and the presence of work taking over personal life space. They feel in the grip of emails and calls and run in their hamster wheel. The challenge is to reinstall the “pause button”.

Pauses are powerful in different situations and vary in intention and length:

  1. temporary stop in speech or action: the best speakers make pauses to emphasize on their content, to get the attention of the audience and make them listen. It also helps you to control the tone and speed of your voice make eye contact and body language. And most important it gives you a moment to brief and center your thoughts.
  1. interruption in a meeting is very helpful to give participants the opportunity to digest learning, connect, think and refresh their mind especially in hard discussions or negotiations. Very often an enabler for new start and breakthrough.
  1. silence in a conversation to emphasize meaning, think and look for the unknown. Lots of leaders do most of the talking in meetings with their team or one to one meetings. Ask and pause to give space and responsibility to others for them to come up with ideas and solutions. Not knowing the answer needs time and an energy of trust. Waiting creates chaos and uncertainty which enables involvement and engagement. The dynamic is surprising!
  1. recreation during work or in the leisure time is a mindful period of regenerating own energy with the focus on body, soul, feeling and wellbeing. Recreation needs your change of mode. That means no device, offline, Change of focus on yourself (some have a nap, meditate, move, enjoy nature or music) and most important relax.

What makes Pauses so powerful is the space to be in the moment and create awareness for yourself and for others. It creates a moment of uncomfortness or even guilt for waste of time. Therefore the Pause needs a change of mindset.

HOW YOU PAUSE IS HOW YOU PERFORM allows you to increase your impact on your work performance but also on your life quality. Take a moment and think about it!

About the author:

I am Martina Wehner, a passionate Executive Coach and Team Trainer, expert in Powerful Team Culture and Empathy in Leadership. Find out more about your empathy in leadership and get in contact with a first free online meeting https://www.teamandleaders.com or text me mw@teamandleaders.com.

I love to hear from you!

Martina

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