be-quiet-1436980We live in a busy, filled-to-the-brim world.  That is true for everyone, but especially for leaders. There are more distractions, diversions and noise in our world than ever before in history.

While everyone has 24/7 news, email, texts, social networks and a hundred other sources of information and noise coming at them all day, leaders probably have more. More demands, more people wanting their time, more things to read, more tasks to do … more, more, more.

Think about your last full work day. If you are like most leaders, you dealt with competing priorities, people pulled you in two different directions at once, the phone rang, emailed buzzed, and the to-dos piled up. Beyond work obligations, you have personal obligations, family, friends, hobbies and so on. Like many leaders, the very first bit of quiet you experience all day may be when you climb into bed to fall asleep (and that’s only if you don’t have the T.V. on or your smartphone next to your bed).

In all the noise, it’s almost impossible to find time to clear your head and think, but carving out that time to do so is critical to your success as a leader, employee, and person, in general.

You need time to think about the challenges you face so that you can come up with workable solutions. You need time to plan to ensure that new projects are successful. You need quiet to think about how to improve the performance of an employee. You need time to focus.

Many experts are talking about the value of mindfulness in both your personal and professional life, and it’s something you should definitely work on, especially early in your career. Having the ability to clear the noise and focus is one of the most important skills and habits you can develop.

Starting today, schedule quiet time to do nothing but think, and make it a part of your daily routine. You’ll become a more competent and effective leader if you do.

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Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com). He has spent nearly 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.
Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and has been included in many other similar lists.

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