ABOUT THIS EPISODE
A difficult question lands and there is a perfectly reasonable option available: pause, think and say, “I need to check.” But sometimes leadership decides that an immediate answer feels more competent, even when the information is not actually there yet. In this episode of Leadruption, Emma Last explores Pausephobia, the fear that taking a moment to think will somehow look worse than saying something that later needs retracting.
In this episode, we explore:
- What Pausephobia is, and why leaders can feel pressure to answer immediately.
- How confidence can get confused with having an instant response.
- What happens when an answer keeps going long after it becomes obvious that more information is needed.
- Why saying “I need to check” can be a stronger leadership response than improvising certainty.
- A question to consider: Where might you be filling a pause because you’re worried what the pause will say about you?
You do not have to know everything immediately to lead well.
Sometimes the most credible answer is simply:
“I need to check.”
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Come and join Emma in Leadruption PodChat to continue the conversation and discover more words from The Leadruptionary.
You can also explore the Say–Do Gap White Paper and look more closely at the gap between what leaders want to communicate and what others actually experience.
https://emmalast.com/leadruption-podchat
