On Thursday afternoon last week in Cayman, I had two hours to sit and prepare my notes for facilitating a full-day meeting on that Friday for a client leadership team. I’ve had a great week in Cayman on so many levels and at the same time by Thursday afternoon I’d had over twenty meetings that week.
So, when I found this perfect and peaceful spot and a seat in the shade with a cool breeze and before I gathered my thoughts to write up my “run sheet”, I simply sat quietly for a few minutes, listened to the silence punctuated only by birdsong, focussed on gratitude.
On an individual level it is always worth taking time to pause to be grateful.
On a leadership level, one meeting this week was with a friend and client who is a CEO. They had just had their annual 360 feedback and, as a humble, open and vulnerable leader, they immediately looked for ways to grown and learn.
One takeaway they will take action from is to take more time with their team to celebrate and be grateful for achievements instead of almost immediately moving on to the next project, goal, target.
I admire this leader greatly and love the lesson they took.
Pause to be grateful.