What Are You Thinking About?

Throughout June, LeaderWise is highlighting a few of our most popular articles on renewal and resilience from team members in therapy and leadership development.

Today’s article features Cindy Halvorson, leadership development consultant, who encourages us to notice what our minds are up to, what stories we are telling ourselves, what impact it is having on our lives and leadership. As we look ahead to another year in leadership, how could 1:1 accompaniment help us notice our thoughts?

By Cindy Halvorson, MDiv, DMin.

What are you thinking about?

The inquiry is often posed to pierce the silence that hangs in the air. Such a casual question for such a covert undertaking. And yet, the answer to the question impacts our well-being, our resilience, our fortitude. What we think about influences us.

What are you thinking about?

I listen to leaders who are bombarded with urgency and anxiety. Our society is currently experiencing a state of heightened apprehension and distressing uncertainty. While leaders are not immune to this angst, they are bombarded with other peoples’ emotional unease. There are requests for this-thing-to-be-done and that-situation-to-be-handled. All remedies are to be done effectively and efficiently while caring for the people in the process. The expectations can be overwhelming.

What are you thinking about?

Leaders’ schedules are filled. There are meetings and emails, conversations and planning, scheduling and rescheduling. With the benefit of virtual meetings, leaders can connect with others without “wasting time” traveling. Calendars are crammed to the fifteen-minute increments. At the end of every day, there is another to-do list that waits to be accomplished.

What are you thinking about?

As leaders, we can get bogged down with the demands of our roles and the expectations that others have for us. It’s easy to find ourselves focused on the concerns that others hand to us for “fixing.” The pressures mount and our mental energy is consumed with the anxieties that people place in our laps. If only we had a good option for them or some creative solution to their difficulty which has somehow, now, become our difficulty. Certainly, if we try hard enough, we can find a remedy to their conundrum.

What are you thinking about?

Maybe it’s always been true, yet at this point in history, I speculate it is more crucial now than ever, that leaders climb out of the swirl of anxiety and contemplate their contemplations. Our mental activity shapes our experience, our mood, our energy level, and our well-being! Spending time thinking about our thinking, noticing what our thoughts are, and whether or not those thoughts are hindering or helping is vital for healthy leadership. Here are some questions to ponder:

• In what ways are your thoughts life-giving?

  • Are your thoughts consistently negative?

  • Can you think about ways to honor your personal (or organizational) purpose and/or mission?

• Is your brain spinning around your emotions?

  • Are you regularly arguing with others within your own mind?

  • In what ways is your thinking fraught with worries and concerns?

• When was the last time you halted your thought pattern to make a healthier choice?

  • What is the tone of your self-talk?

  • What is the narrative you are telling yourself?

What are you thinking about?  

Our thinking influences our ability to lead during these anxious times. It also impacts our emotional health. If you find yourself stuck in unhealthy patterns of thinking, reach out to someone for help – a trusted colleague, a mentor, or a professional (coach, spiritual director, or therapist). The weight of leadership can cause any of us to feel burdened and overwhelmed. You don’t have to lead without support. We’re here for you.

Find information about coaching with LeaderWise here.

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Find information about reflective supervision with the Centre for Creative Supervision here.

Find information about therapy with LeaderWise here, or call us at 651-636-5120.

May all our wonderings and wandering lead us home.