Solitude has the biggest impact to leaders performance. The most admired leaders allocate time for solitude in the diary. It is no coincidence that they then consistently deliver.
“Solitude is the last thing leaders feel they have time for yet it can bring the best results.”
Solitude is where you get your strengths to be a great leader. As a result of solitude you gain clarity, reduce overwhelm and feel more autonomous (and much more besides) to do your great work.
Value has its own meaning to each of us. Value can be tangible business results and or personal achievements. The value level we set is personal. The value you gain from solitude will support you personally and in your progress of what you ‘do’.
When I talk about solitude. I don’t mean you need to go to the middle of nowhere to get it. (Although I do enjoy being blown away in the middle of an empty mountain.) You can create your own solitude. Solitude is the space (pause), the silence and the opportunity for your brain to breath.
“Solitude is the medicine that all leaders crave for to master strength.”
The value in solitude is the strength building of you as a leader. The value comes from stopping and allowing your brain to decompress or breath. It is at these moments you gain clarity. It is an undervalued ‘free’ event. It is something that many of the most respected leaders (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Freud, Dorothy Day) do (and did) and some also have ‘think’ weeks to take themselves from ‘normal’ routine. Away days are not remembered for the content but the time to connect or isolate themselves from the busyness of everything else.
So how can you gain solitude and strength in the here and now?
- Close your eyes.
- Feel your feet within your shoes.
- Find a quiet corner of the building to look out of a window.
- Walk outside (just like smokers do) and find a spot to watch what is going on.
- Go for a walk.
- Seek the opportunity to sit and do nothing. Some might call it meditation.
- Organise an away day with your team for collective time to think.
- Find longer spaces at the weekend to find and ‘do’ your solitude.
- Find your own methods.
Strong leaders enjoy and ensure solitude so they can maintain their strength and be at their best.
Are you as strong as you wish to be?
What value do you put on solitude?
