The Signal in Stillness | Wait | Leadership & Self-Deception
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
The Signal in Stillness
As I write this, I’m sitting in a waiting area with a room full of fellow Jury Service recruits. We’ve been here for some time, with little sense of what’s happening or when things will move. It’s the kind of pause that draws your attention to boredom and patience, and it struck me that impatience is not always a flaw to fix, it is often a signal worth listening to.
When boredom shows up, it can reveal a mismatch between our energy and what we are giving our attention to, not a lack of discipline or gratitude. In those quiet, restless moments, we become more aware of how our body feels, how our mind wanders, and what we are quietly craving stimulation, meaning, movement, or rest.
Seen this way, boredom becomes useful. It creates space to notice subtle signals about pace, curiosity, and readiness for change. Impatience then becomes information rather than interruption, pointing us toward what wants to evolve next.
In leadership, this awareness matters. Impatience can surface when a system has outgrown its rhythm, when people are disengaged, or when progress has slowed in ways that are no longer energising. Leaders who notice boredom, their own or within the team, can treat it as feedback rather than failure. It can prompt better questions about clarity, autonomy, challenge, and relevance, rather than defaulting to pressure or acceleration.
When leaders respond this way, boredom becomes a diagnostic tool, and impatience becomes a guide, helping them adjust pace, refocus attention, and reintroduce meaning, rather than pushing harder in directions that no longer fit.
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Wait
Following the theme of patience, this weeks word is WAIT. It comes Old High German wahhon "to watch, be awake”. The word was never passive. Waiting is an active state of alert attention.
Boredom and impatience often signal that something wants to shift. ‘Wait’ invites us to notice that signal rather than rush to silence it. In leadership, ‘wait’ is the ability to stay watchful without forcing momentum, allowing the right next move to reveal itself.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Embrace the Pause
Notice one moment of impatience this week and pause instead of pushing. Stay with the stillness for a few minutes and observe what it reveals about pace, attention, or what wants to change.
For leaders, try this once in a meeting or when making a decision and see what clarity emerges.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“When I feel bored or impatient, what might that feeling be pointing me toward, rather than away from?”
This week’s question invites you to notice your default response to stillness or disruption, so you can distinguish between what is actually happening and the way you tend to interpret or accelerate it.
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Small Conversations
A shout out to the small conversations with strangers that quietly steady us. In moments of waiting and uncertainty, a simple exchange can offer reassurance, perspective, and a reminder that we are not alone in the pause.
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me
This week’s gift for you is a GLAS visual created for a hugely popular book from the Arbinger Institute: Leadership and Self-Deception.
The offer (below) is available to you for free (for 7 days) using the code OUTWARD when you check out. Access is via the link / button below.
If this resonates, and you value our original visuals, book visual synopses and practical tools, you may wish to hear more about the forthcoming LEAPERS Club, where these ideas are explored and worked through more fully over time. Feel free to sign up to hear more about the upcoming launch of the LEAPERS Club.
Please note that if you miss the 7 day offer, we can not extend this for you. You can, however always access the download for a nominal charge.
Leadership and Self-Deception visual synopsis
The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, in blogs / features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences. Please get in touch. The downloads do not have watermarks.
If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.
LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
