Today as I read the papers and reflected on the year gone by, I realised that at least a dozen persons that I know have died for the year. Some I knew well, others not so well, but all luminaries in our society.
It caused me to reflect on another type of loss that is taking place concurrently and that is of parents, whose children are heading overseas to pursue further studies.
Both the above types of losses send us into deep reflection of time spent together lessons learnt, lessons shared.
As leaders, we also experience frequent losses of staff in the workplace. In some organisations, the staff turnover is more frequent than in others. However the time spent in reflection on these losses, pales in comparison to that spent in the other two cases mentioned above. Comments range from “Thank God she has gone” to “She was real good, we will miss her.”
What if we were to take a Time Out and spend some time in focussed reflection on staff turnover, what would it reveal about interpersonal relationships within the organisation, or our organisation’s – policies, procedures, culture? And what lessons could we learn that would facilitate improved organisational effectiveness?
Take a Time Out ……. the intentional cessation of an incomplete task and see what surfaces through this focussed reflection.
Judy Joseph Mc Sween is the Principal Consultant/CEO of Meredith Mc Sween International – facilitating internal transformation in individuals, teams and organisations. Contact Judy for information on her “Time Out Individual and Organisation Interventions” Email judy@meredithmcsween.com
are you ready for a time out? 