What are you thinking?
Let’s shorten that to: are you thinking?
Let’s shorten that to: think!
As leaders, parents, and just busy people we often get caught in the practice of doing before we think about the consequences of our actions. The old adage “think before you speak” (or act) is a hard one to live by in our world that is moving at light speed. However, so much of the time if we could discipline ourselves to just slow down a little and think about what we are considering, we might make much better decisions and spend less time cleaning up after ourselves.
John Maxwell wrote a book a few years back Thinking for a Change. In it he describes how he has a chair in his study that is there for one purpose – it’s his thinking chair. Whenever he has a big decision to make, he sits in the chair. Whenever he is searching for the solution to a challenge, he sits in the chair. Whenever he is needing to be creative, he sits in the chair. He sits in the chair to think. When I first read that, I thought it was a great idea, so today in my study, I have a chair in which I will often sit and think. Sometimes I read or write in my journal, but the main reason I bought the chair was to think.
I find that I can be incredibly creative, but I must think about it. I am able to come up with ideas and solutions, but I must think about it. Often, just stopping for a moment and forcing my brain to settle down and think will bring the clarity I desperately need. So, my advice today is to think! Got an issue? Stop and think. At a standstill? Stop and think. Hitting a creative wall? Stop and think.
Great leaders are not effective by accident. They have to work at it. They think before they act. We should do the same.
Lead well.