When Busy becomes Reactive (and how Leaders stay Deliberate)
Well, it’s already end of February and apparently we are galloping at speed through 2026, the Year of the Horse! Perhaps a timely reminder that when we are working at speed we need to make sure that we are still pausing for deliberate self leadership.
I was with a leadership team yesterday talking about courage. They are navigating changing and confusing situations. And yet they need to make decisions, do uncomfortable things, prioritise ruthlessly, say no when they want to say yes, have difficult conversations and step into the chaos with calm.
These moments, of course, challenge our comfort.
We do not want to cause distress to ourselves or others. We do not want to fail. We do not want to get it wrong.
Our protective instinct pulls us towards comfort. And it has two reliable ways of keeping us there.
The first is biology. Our fast survival wiring defaults to fight, flight, freeze or fawn. It is automatic and persuasive.
The second is habit. We repeat what we have done before. We lean on familiar patterns because they feel safer than the unknown.
Both biology and habit are designed to reduce discomfort.
Neither is designed to lead.
Leadership, however, is deliberate.
Leadership is the pause that questions those fast biological reactions of a fallible brain.
Leadership is the questioning of whether old habits and patterns are serving this moment.
Choosing the response that enables progress, growth and healthy disruption, sometimes require us moving towards discomfort, not away from it.
A simple question to anchor your self leadership when you're working at pace:
“Is my saying/doing/deciding coming from comfort driven biology and habit, or intention driven leadership?”
Click to Download the Menu of How to Work with Me
*High Performing Exec Team programs* *Bewteen Team programs*
*Workplace mediation* *Exec Coaching*