The Pause That Refreshes

Remember that advertising slogan? Make you want to have a soft drink?

You probably didn’t think of Wayne Dyer when you read that headline. But over the past week, I’ve had a chance to remember something that Dyer said that has impacted my leadership (I’m paraphrasing here):

there is a moment between when something happens, or is said to you, and when you respond, and in that moment, you can choose how to respond

I’m going to leave the details of how and when this happened vague by design, but there was a public moment that could have turned confrontational. In the past, my default response has been to attack. But I’ve tried to learn the difference between “proving something” and being direct. This time, I was very aware of the choice I had in the moment, and I tried to be direct but non-judgemental. And that, to paraphrase Robert Frost, made all the difference.

For me it has been a long battle to get to this point, but I’m making progress. Something to remember on this Valentine’s Day.

Want to tell me what you think? Be direct, but not judgemental in your comments, please…