I doubt if anyone would argue with me that we are inundated daily with more information than we can handle. Most of us struggle to deal with the multiple demands on our time - voice mail, email, meetings, cell phone calls, text messages - enough already! Does knowing more and getting it faster make us better leaders? Who among us has the capacity or stamina to keep up? Does one have to be Superman or Superwoman to be truly effective?
Leaders have a special responsibility to inspire those we serve and it is difficult to be inspiring when our heads are exploding. How many of us have a daily routine that includes pausing to listen and reflect? One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Regardless of your faith perspective this is prescriptive advice for today's "do everything" mentality of leadership. It is in the silence that we can listen - to our hearts, to our family, to our employees, and to our customers. Taking a deep breath, clearing our minds, and waiting for a word from God is the only way we can recharge our mental and emotional batteries. Meditating and reflecting heightens our awareness of what really matters, allows us to sort through the clutter, and rebuilds our capacity to serve. Silence heals, renews, and cleanses us so we can absorb new ideas, connect more closely with what and whom we love, and experience the presence of God in a personal way.
I confess that practicing silence isn't easy for me. My brain tends to race in a dozen directions at first but, if I am disciplined to wait and listen, eventually my spirit succumbs to the sweet music of the Soul - to the sound of silence. It is at these moments that God can speak (even shout at times) and I am finally ready to hear the message. There is energy in this place of quiet reflection. Silence is the place where faith flows freely, where wisdom has a voice, where dreams are birthed, and possibilities are imagined. Revisiting this special sanctuary every day can transform how we as leaders perform. More importantly it can change who we are.
Robert Greenleaf offered this key question for us to ponder: "In saying what we have in mind, will I really improve on the silence?" How would the persons you love and serve assess your leadership if they were asked this question? What would my own clients, colleagues, family, and friends say about me? Perhaps we all need to turn off our cell phones and abdicate our email in-boxes. Let's reconnect with the human spirit by meeting with and listening to each other. Could practicing silence actually improve the silence when our message is finally delivered?
1 comment:
O that I could practice silence more. Is it my own selfishness that makes me want to talk, my own insecurity, my need to be understood? I know that I need time to process what I am hearing before I respond, but sometimes I don't give myself that time.
Perhaps I think others won't give me that time to process my thoughts so I jump in before my thoughts have been fully processed and then later I regret what I have said, because I haven't processed my thoughts fully.
And yet I am always impressed by those that actually do step back, process their thoughts, and then speak. So why is it so hard for me? Maybe I need to come to the point where I don't have to respond to what has been said.
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