The pace of work has always challenged leaders, but the acceleration brought on by new technology has created a new kind of pressure. Leaders are flooded with information, surrounded by rapid change, and expected to respond before they have a chance to understand the full picture. During my interview with Ellen Langer, the Harvard social psychologist widely known as the mother of mindfulness, she explained that people often believe they are paying attention long after their minds have shifted into habit. That insight stayed with me because it reflects so much of what leaders face today. When the environment moves faster than the thinking required to make a good decision, leaders need conversations that produce clarity rather than assumptions.
Natalie Nixon, a creativity expert, Jeff Wetzler, a learning strategist, and I examined the speed of change and its impact on leadership behavior in a Fast Company article about balancing urgency with curiosity. All three of us saw the same pattern. Leaders want to help their teams move forward, yet the pace of technology can push them into immediate action. That pace can narrow their perspective without them realizing it. The leaders who make better decisions are the ones who pause long enough to ask thoughtful questions that bring out information everyone needs.
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