Do you believe in signs? …That sometimes we see something that is giving us a clue about a way forward or seems to have caught our eye for a reason? I have to say that logically I don’t. I’m an engineer by original degree and I worked as an engineer as the first 7 years of my career … I like evidence and logic and reasoning. I like to do the research and think things through. I like to think I can justify my decisions, my choices, and the life I lead from that perspective.
And yet….
So this is a bit of a different blog for me this month… I’ve decided to share a gradual change in my thinking, or perhaps I should say experience, which is influencing my approach to living my life just a little bit and I share as food for thought as I think it could be relevant and helpful in the business and management world too. Read on to understand more about what I’m noticing and how I draw insight from this to support managers and leaders.
Lately, I’ve been experiencing a few months of quite significant change. While it hasn’t always been easy, I’m going with it, and I’m being open to a different future, being more reflective, being a little more ‘in the moment’. I recognise that sometimes I need a bit of space to take stock both cognitively and emotionally. A great way for me to do this is by taking a walk in the countryside.
Last week I spent a few days in Cornwall and took some time at Constantine beach, a beach which has a lot of happy memories and was the favourite beach of my Mum and Dad. Honestly, I was feeling a bit low – the best way to describe it is that I’d temporarily lost my mojo; I’m a self-motivated, focused, forward looking person most of the time so when I get these lapses in energy and motivation it is unsettling for me.
While walking along the beach I thought of my Dad. I was very close to my Dad throughout my life and his passing in February 2020 hit me hard, and still does from time to time. I could feel myself getting emotional with tears welling in my eyes and then, as I looked unfocused at the sand, something stood out to me… a pebble in the shape of a heart. It felt like a message from Dad to not to lose hope, and to know that I was loved. This might feel a bit far-fetched, or romantic for some, but it was what I needed to feel lifted up in the moment. I walked for another 40 minutes, and in that time I found another 3 pebbles that resembled the shape of a heart… that’s unusual. You could say that I was more consciously looking out for them, but none the less 4 is a lot.
So how do I see this in anyway relevant for the management and leadership community? I suppose I’m wondering whether I may have been a more ‘in-touch’, in-the-moment leader if I’d been more aware of my surroundings and more present in the moment to everything going on around me rather than relying on my cognitive ability. While it may not be a case of seeing ‘signs from the universe’ I think there is something to be said for taking notice of what we see and hear, coupled with reflection, so that our brains can explore what comes up for us. It may be that something we see reminds us of something else that leads to an idea, or a word we hear acts as a metaphor that changes our thinking.
But.. how often do we rush from meeting to meeting, deadline to deadline, always with a long to-do list and our own agenda. What if we created pauses in our day or recognised that a meeting was an opportunity for ‘off-piste’ exploration, not just a hasty agenda where we need to keep on track?
Here’s a simple challenge that I’d love you to take up… tomorrow, try to tame your racing thoughts and take time, deliberately, to notice what’s around you for 5 minutes in every hour. This could be when on your own working quietly, or in a meeting where you are listening in. In the space that you’ve created for new awareness, listen to what bubbles up for you and trust your instinct that there is some value in it.
I’m going to give it a try and I’d love to hear how you get on if you try it too.
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