W.A.I.T - A Powerful tool for Leader as a Coach

W.A.I.T - A Powerful tool for Leader as a Coach

I lead an operations team of a non-profit (along with many other exciting stuff I get to do here :-)... ) and it's quite a task to keep up with all the moving parts. 

An acronym that helps me to stay grounded at times is W.A.I.T: I read this in two ways 

1. WHY AM I TALKING?

While a weekly operational review is in progress, I tend to provide a bag full of ideas, suggestions and personal insights that would be useful for my team members, real time! Alas, they are not good enough for my team and I ended up talking more and more to justify why my inputs matter! 

That's when I stop myself and say "W.A.I.T!" Why am I doing all the talking? Then I see the conversion becomes less and less about me and more about things that really matter to my team and they take collective action for the benefit of the overall organisation.

2. WHAT AM I THINKING?

During meetings, my colleagues often find me quiet and observant. I guess at some point they start wondering if I'm mentally present and try to pull me into conversation by asking - "what do you think about this?"

It helps me to jot down few points at the beginning of the meeting - answers to the question "What am I thinking about this subject and what is my stance on the decision made or about to be made?"

So if you find this useful, then W.A.I.T !!!!