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When was the last time you ask yourself what you should stop doing (or spend less time doing) whether at work or in your personal life or do you just keep adding things? Kevin Cashman asks this question in The Pause Principle Step Back To Lead Forward.  He believes the best way to successfully move ahead is to slow down and step back (pause). He indicates that what sleep is to the mind and body, pausing is to leadership especially in our fast-paced, achieve-more-now culture. Ask yourself what our addiction to action, our busy-ness, our preoccupation with incessant distractions and pursuit of the ubiquitous "more" in our 24/7, constantly connected globally caffeinated culture is doing to your leadership effectiveness? Is not your job as the leader to sort through the complexities and come to conscious connections with what is truly important?  Do you ensure you frequently have the time and space for thinking, reflecting and decision-making?  Think about using your pauses to;

• List what things could be stopped?
• Increase your self-awareness, which is like unlocking the doors to a series of rooms such as to what is your authentic self. In other words your personal leadership growth is the ongoing process of being and becoming a more authentic leader.
• Clarify/update your leadership purpose/vision so you move from success to significance.
• Reflect on what is coming that you need to be prepared for thus thinking strategically.
• Think about what innovations must be underway so you don’t fall behind by just maintaining the status quo.
• Develop plans to grow your people and have succession plans in place for your position and other key positions.
• Figure out what are the key questions you need to be asking your staff and those above you to foster their awareness and commitment.
• Determine what you have recently learned and how will you utilize it in the future.
• Read outside of pharmacy and healthcare such as in leadership, self- development, technology, etc.

In my leadership experience unless you schedule on your calendar this “pause time” and get away from your desk you will never benefit from it and you owe it to your staff/organization to be the most effective leader you can be.

Please share what works for you in getting this time.