High Performance Leadership

I often quote Susan Scott ("Fierce Conversations") who said, "Let silence do the heavy lifting." It's powerfully useful. Those awkward silences are times to think, times to process, times to remain curious. Today I'd like to add this: We rush to fill the silence. We awkwardly walk away. We miss the silent opportunity. It's not a time to hurry, it's a time to remain mindful. Be there. Process. Listen. Silence is too powerful to waste. Use the gift that it brings. -- doug smith

Do you enjoy getting the "silent treatment" from someone when you're in a problem situation or conflict? You probably know the feeling - someone has something to say but they won't tell you. They won't talk. Maybe they'll make the little artificial small talk efforts but keep the deeper stuff buried within. How do you get deeper? How do you find out what's going on? When we have a problem we need to get to the core of what's going on. We need to discover the root causes of our discomfort. Especially when people are involved and you have no instruments to measure the results. It's all perceived, or deceived, or received through misunderstandings and filters. We can do better than that. We can stay curious. We can ask questions. We can practice a centered silence that allows whatever the other person is feeling to emerge without danger. When we are open to receiving a message the message is much more likely to arrive. Ask. Listen. Wait. Pat...