The Power of Pause : How to Be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World

A clear, actionable plan to fight frustration at work, make savvier decisions, and avoid costly mistakes when we're short on time, attention, and choices One of the most frustrating dilemmas for working people today is how to be effective when we feel we don't have time or we're facing non-stop demands. __The Power of Pause__ process is a dynamic practice that Nance Guilmartin has taught thousands of people worldwide, equipping them to regain control of thoughts and avoid miscommunications. This tested method helps readers to take a moment to wonder what's called for when we feel we're short on time, attention, temper, or choices. In that instant, we can use a simple method to rewire our overloaded circuits, tap into our ''missing-in-action'' common sense, and raise our communication intelligence. This process is __not__ about slowing down the pace of workday life. It is about enabling anyone who is time-pressed to make savvier choices and avoid costly mistakes. * Shows how to exercise leadership skills that save time and strengthen relationships * Offers a process for learning to engage in productive exchanges rather than attacking or being resigned * Enables managers and teams to save time and money * Reveals how to fix problems and achieve goals with less stress __The__ __Power of Pause__ methods enable managers and teams across varying industries/any industry to save time and money, fix problems and achieve goals with less stress–even in the face of competition, cultural and language differences, or tight budgets The Power of Pause: How to be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World 7 Contents 11 An Invitation to the Power of Pause 15 Part I: The Power of Pause Process: How to Shift from Running on Automatic 25 Chapter 1: RESTORING THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE 27 How Do We Work When We’re Living at the Edge of Time? 28 What Happens When We’re on Automatic? 29 Chapter 2: WHAT IS A PAUSE? 35 Are We Asking the Right Questions? 36 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #1: Drive Your Choices Instead of Being Driven 43 Stripping the Gears 46 Chapter 3: THE PARADOX OF PAUSE: YOU GAIN IMPACT BY TAKING A (BRIEF) TIME-OUT 49 What’s Your CQ? 52 Your Mindset Drives Results and Raises CQ 55 TIPS AND YEAH, BUTS 60 Cues That a Pause Is in Your Interest 60 Yeah, Buts... on Pausing 62 What’s Next? How to Take Back Control and Get New Options 65 Part II: Get Curious Not Furious: Take Back Control to Get New Options 67 Chapter 4: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE’RE WIRED TO SNAP? 69 Curiosity Doesn’t Come Naturally... After We Grow Up 71 How Do I Interrupt an Emotional Hijacking and Make Smarter Choices? 73 Why Are So Many of Us Working with Our Fuses Lit and Ready to Blow? 76 “Missed Understandings” Set Off Chain Reactions 80 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #2: Be Aware of Your Filters (and Theirs) 81 Chapter 5: GET A REALITY CHECK: SAVE TIME, MONEY, AND RELATIONSHIPS 85 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #3: Give the Benefit of the Doubt 85 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #4: Stop Putting Deposits in Your Resentment Bank Account 86 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #5: Use Rephrasing as a Twenty-First-Century Risk Management Tool 90 Chapter 6: WHAT IS CURIOSITY? 93 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #6: Use the Get Curious Not Furious Approach 93 Enhance Innovation 94 An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure 96 Chapter 7: HAVE YOU BEEN CAUGHT IN A DECISION-MAKING SPEED TRAP? 101 The 3 A’s of Behavior Change 99 Why Is It So Hard to Give or Get Customer Service Today? 103 Chapter 8: WHEN CURIOSITY BECOMES YOUR NEW DEFAULT SETTING 109 Tips and Yeah, Buts 117 TIPS FOR USING POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #5: Use Rephrasing as a Twenty-First-Century Risk Management Tool 117 Yeah, Buts... on Rephrasing 118 Yeah, Buts... on Getting Curious 121 What’s Next: Ways to Work Smarter Together, Not Harder 123 Part III: What Don’t I Know I Don’t Know?: Ask Better Questions to Drive Success 125 Chapter 9: HOW CAN WE ENSURE SUCCESS IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY? 127 The Paradox of Knowledge and Uncertainty 130 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #7: Ask: What’s on Your Plate? 136 Chapter 10: DRIVE SUCCESS WITH AN EXTRA MEASURE OF HUMILITY 141 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #8: Ask: What Don't I Know I Don't Know? 142 When Rapid Growth Creates Bottlenecks 145 Are We Really Part of a Team, or Are We a Group of Talented Individuals? (And What’s the Difference?) 153 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #9: Take Responsibility for Being Understood: Reverse Rephrase 155 Chapter 11: REVISITING THE RESENTMENT BANK ACCOUNT: DEPOSITS AND WITHDRAWALS 161 Resentments Trigger Reactions 162 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #10: Make Withdrawals from the Resentment Bank Account 163 TIPS AND YEAH, BUTS 167 TIPS FOR USING POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #8: Ask: What Don’t I Know I Don’t Know? 167 TIPS FOR USING POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #9: Take Responsibility for Being Understood: Use Reverse Rephrasing 168 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE # 11: Know Your Trigger Points (and Theirs) 170 The Exercise 171 Yeah, Buts... on Reverse Rephrasing 172 Adopting “Response-Ability” Habits 173 What’s Next? Producing Unimaginably Powerful Results 176 Part IV: The Art of the Pause: Do What Matters Most and Make It Count 179 Chapter 12: WHERE ARE WE GOING? 181 How Do We Shift to Collaborating? 182 What’s It Going to Take to Bridge Cultural Differences, Tame Egos, and Save Lives? 185 A Postscript About Seeding Innovation 192 When You Get to the Fork in the Road 194 Investing in Our Common Humanity: One Conversation at a Time 194 Chapter 13: WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? 205 What's in It for Our Customers and for Us? 206 It Has Everything to Do with Alignment 207 Chapter 14: APPRECIATIONS: THE POWER OF PAUSE IN ACTION 211 POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICE #12: Strengthen Relationships: Offer Timely, Specific Appreciation 211 Un-Be-Lievable! 213 The Power of Pause: Putting It All Together When Everything Is on the Line 216 Perfect Balance: The Story of a World Championship Manager 216 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVELY GIVING AND ACCEPTING APPRECIATION 222 Chapter 15: THE POWER OF PAUSE PRACTICES: TWELVE WAYS TO BE YOUR BEST AND TO SUCCEED IN A DEMANDING, 24/7 WORLD 225 IT’S TIME: NOW IT’S UP TO YOU 229 Notes 233 Appreciations 241 About the Author 247 Index 249

Praise for The Power of Pause

"The Power of Pause is a great tool for us in these changing times. It helps us avoid the problems that 'continuous partial attention' and multitasking create and shows us how to think things through and achieve what's important."
—Spencer Johnson, M.D., author, Who Moved My Cheese?

"This is a powerful book that will change the way you do business and live your life. Pausing in a fast-paced world will help anyone be more productive."
—Jeffrey J. Fox, author, How to Become a Rainmaker and Rain: What a Paperboy Learned About Business

"In our 24/7 world we are overwhelmed with choices, rushing to decide and to act. Nance Guilmartin's interesting and lively book teaches us to pause, reflect calmly, assess the real options, and then launch our solutions. She's right. It works."
—John Mendelsohn, M.D., president, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

"These simple yet powerful practices enable leaders to more effectively manage teams, make decisions, and solve the right problems. They are as important for schools to teach to MBA students as finance and accounting."
—Joyce Elam, executive dean, Florida International University College of Business Administration

"Whether you are leading people in battle, in organizational transformation, or in the fight against climate change, this extraordinary book has much to teach about how to solve the new century's challenges."
—John Elkington, coauthor, The Power of Unreasonable People

"The Power of Pause teaches us how to manage our energy—which is essentialin today's 24/7 environment."
—Cheryl McDowell, vice president, Finance Americas, Oracle Corporation