Hi, and welcome to my lunch table where we explore the heart of leadership conscious choices, real world wisdom, and take meaningful action. I'm Simon Ha, and today's topic might just change the way you look at things. So let me start with a question. Have you ever made a decision that you later regretted just because you rushed? Maybe you felt the pressure to respond quickly, to look decisive, but later with hindsight you realize, Hmm, I just wish I took more time and paused. Well, today we're unpacking why that small moment of pause, that breath, that space isn't weakness or hesitation. It's a powerful stewardship. It's one of the most important habits for ethical conscious leadership. We'll talk about why a reflective pause matters, how to create simple rituals for better decision makers, and share some practical tools you can start using today. So let's dive in. First thing to think about is that we live in a world where things are moving very, very quickly. The external factors affecting your business and affecting your life are moving so fast. Social media has a massive impact on the way that we consume information and the way that we investigate what potential options are. modern leadership, whether you're running a team, a department, or an entire business, comes with this paradox. You're expected to be quick, you're expected to be decisive and responsive. But the faster we move, the more mistakes we make. What a paradox, eh, high pressure leadership environments can reward speed over thoughtfulness, and I've seen it leaders feel they can't afford to stop, so putting quick fixes, they make assumptions and gut reactions become the norm, and yet when we make impulsive decisions, they risk compromising their values. They miss important blind spots. May hurt trust. So personally, when we go shopping, we can take the wrong purchasing decision just because we're drawn into the sales pattern of too good a deal to miss. And we get that buyer's feeling when we leave the shop with that thing that we weren't a hundred percent sure of that maybe that wasn't the right purchase. So this is where pause comes in. pausing before deciding gives us something hugely valuable. It gives us something called perspective. It shifts us from reacting to responding. It allows ethical clarity to emerge by giving our brains and our hearts the time to consider not just the immediate effect, but the broader long-term impact. When you create that dedicated space for reflection, you give yourself and your leadership team and your family the chance to make choices aligned with the core principles, not just in the heat of the moment. So here's a real world example. I was working with a senior leader in an organization. They had a lot of stuff going on. They were working really, really fast, and we had to put a break on some of the decisions that she was working on. Um, and I used a model called the Consequences Matrix, which is basically just asking four questions and thinking through each of those four questions in detail, what would happen. If I took this decision, what would happen if I didn't take this decision? What would not happen if I took the decision? And what would not happen if I didn't take the decision? So I'm not sure about you, but when I heard number four, the double, double. The double negative. Um, that confused me. Okay. So, but give yourself some time to think through maybe a recent decision and apply that matrix and the details will be in the show notes for you. once this person had built a simple practice of pausing using these questions, this transformed the way she looked at taking decisions and the outcomes that occurred around her. So this just one small change made a big difference. So what I want to do now is introduce you to some simple ideas as to how you can make pause practical and powerful. So Method one is something that I often talk to clients about in different ways, and this is about structured journaling. So think about one or two key questions you can ask yourself before deciding something like, who else does this decision affect? Will I feel proud of this choice a year from now? The second method is put in micro pauses where you can just think through before you maybe send off that email or say yes to that deal. Take a literal pause, breathe, step back for even 60 seconds because that can reset your perspective. I combine that with a structured journaling, in your own mind, that can be incredibly powerful. The third method is really useful as well, so. We live in our own world, and we can often become quite blinkered to decisions that we take. So the third method is consultation with a diverse perspective. So when you're making a significant decision, actively reach out to people who think differently from you. Broaden the view before narrowing the choice. I love that. Broaden the view before narrowing the choice. if you want to make this a real habit, try creating a regular ritual. Take say an hour every, every Friday afternoon, maybe call it your reflection hour. Put it in your diary now. we know that what gets planned tends to get done and what doesn't get in, the diary doesn't get done. Review key decisions from the week. You know, what went well, what felt rushed. What could have benefited from deeper reflections, that's one powerful step forward. Just that little hour to reflect on your own business. if you are a busy uh, person, it's likely that you are running fast for those 40 hours in the week. And just giving yourself an hour to think about this may feel a luxury, but the benefit really does outweigh that time that you're putting in. Now there's one little addition that you can make here, and this is called something called Stakeholder 360. So it's a simple ethical lens, and it just means asking how will this decision affect my team, my customers, the community, not just now, but in three years. And it could be that you want to invite in people from your team, customers, and community to ask what they thought of that decision that you took you. You'd be amazed at just how, by pausing to see through those lenses expands your ethical awareness.'cause leadership isn't just about doing things right, it's about doing the right things sustainably for everyone involved. So if you take one thing away from today, let it be this. Pausing isn't a delay or a sign of weakness, it's the practice of conscious leadership. It's stepping back so you can step forward with clarity, courage, and care. So the next time you take a decision, not next time you face a decision, bit big or small, I challenge you. Pause, reflect. And ask yourself what deserves my best thinking today? And if you want to be even more real, then join me. Take the pause challenge this week before a key decision. Set aside. Five minutes, breathe, reflect, and choose intentionally. Drop me an email across toSimon@mylunchtable.com. Just let me know how you got on with this. It'd be wonderful to hear from you. So let's build a world where leadership means thinking deeply, just not acting quickly. Thanks as always for joining me at my lunch table today. Until next time, lead well and live fully.