Have you noticed your autopilot?

When did you last get curious about your autopilot? As a leader - have you noticed a habitual reaction you have that doesn't serve your aims?

It could be the tendency to cut short new suggestions from your team. It might be overlooking those in the team who take less space and time. Perhaps you don't even notice yourself doing it. There's a lot of pressure to perform. Perhaps you tell yourself that your response is rational, or that you don’t have time. If you stop and get curious about how you just reacted: what's actually behind it? 

Be honest with yourself. Many might, unconsciously, feel some threat to their authority. There might be some fear, or irritation. You might not feel you ‘get along’ that well with some in the team. Perhaps the origins of the reaction has little to do with work at all. Something might seem hard, so you shy away from it. Only by noticing can you start to change. 

Take a quick pause today and notice your autopilot. Ask yourself how your habitual reactions impact those around you - and yourself. In the stopping and getting curious, there’s a path to understanding whether these reactions serve your aims.  Then you can decide what to do next.

Photo by Nadir Syzygy on Unsplash