Create Mental Space to Be a Wiser Leader

In the face of alarming political polarization, environmental degradation, pressure to acquire the latest emerging technology, and unrelenting, divergent stakeholder expectations, these times call for leaders to engage in collective, thoughtful, and wise decision-making. But at a moment when leaders might see an opportunity to galvanize their teams to be at their most skillful and collaborative, we’ve observed that they are instead, often unwittingly, doing the opposite.

With the pace of change often dictating the pace of business, the leaders trying to keep up with it may cling to what is known and keep their focus narrow to move as fast as possible — or they may be reactive and make hasty, ill-considered decisions.

Consider some of the data from our global survey of nearly 2,000 employees primarily at a middle to senior level in their organizations. Some 40% of them indicated that they had no time to reflect on how to plan and prioritize, 24% were too busy to speak about and reflect on failures, and 59% of them described their meetings as rushed. Under those circumstances, what is the likelihood that they were engaging in high-quality discussions and decision-making? What would the consequences of low engagement be?

Here’s the problem: The doing mode, as we label it in our research, has become an overplayed strength.1 In this mode, managers’ focus is narrowly on short-term, tangible targets for instrumental gain and predictable control. This is, of course, vital for both personal and business survival and performance; however, it can be disastrous as the dominant way of operating. Prioritizing doing in the form of rapidly executing an endless stream of tasks leads to a decline in psychological safety, fosters burnout, stifles innovation, lays a foundation for poor decision-making, and can undermine social capital by isolating people from one another.

What we call the spacious mode is a different, more expansive form of attention where people are able to consider interdependencies and perceive relationships. They dwell in the present moment to deepen their understanding of what is happening now rather than projecting themselves into the future or dwelling on the past. They leave space for possibilities and serendipity rather than staying anchored in the predictable.