Impactful Interruptions?

Most leaders dislike being interrupted. We have lots to do and a short time to get it all done. What if, however, you turned the paradigm around and come to think of most interruptions as the best part of your day? This is the intriguing premise of a great book I am reading by Douglas Conant, President and CEO of Campbell Soup, and strategy consultant Mette Norgaard called Touch Points.

I am just in the first few chapters but it has really got me thinking about loud about their assertion that when people and situations interrupt our work, instead of becoming frustrated, we use them as high impact moments. We can use them to:

• Re-Connect with our team and colleagues
• Create an opportunity to remind others and ourselves of why we do what we do
• Make a visitor feel welcome
• Make someone (especially the most entry level or new staff member) feel valued
• Increase our own abilities to problem solve WITH vs FOR
• Practice flexible thinking

If you think about it, that is where the real work of leadership happens. Not really in writing reports and “brokering” emails (you know, where we forward, reply all, etc. to the people who really need to see and read the email before it ever got to you!). Leadership shows its best face in those frequent, unplanned and unscripted interactions we have with others. 

Now granted, this can be controlled if you really have to focus for a while by simply closing your office door or just not responding to phones or emails for a bit. You may also want to consider how you set your daily agenda. For instance, completing focus and time intensive tasks early so that the afternoons are open for interruptions!

Come to think of it, maybe it would be beneficial to create our own interruptions! Sometimes called Leadership by Walking Around, just getting out of our own office and just checking IN (verses checking UP – big difference there!) on folks will allow for a more authentic conversation versus the ones we often get in the regular departmental or 1:1 meetings.

I challenge you (and of course myself!) to determine how you view interruptions. What emotions do they create and how do you normally respond? Based upon that, what could you change and how could you use interruptions to leverage an opportunity to pursue what is really important!

I would be open to any interruptions from you! As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

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