Season's Readings: Looking Back to Focus AheadAs the sands of time run out on another year I’ve found this quieter time is great for looking back over the past twelve months and focusing on what lies ahead.

One of the biggest challenges of our time is the tornado of multi-tasking crazy-busy bustle that can spin us around in ever faster circles. If we’re not careful we end up just getting through ever more hectic days and not really living and leading.

Now’s a good time to assess whether we’re spending way too much time sweating the small stuff and missing the big picture. Unless we turn down the volume we can’t hear our inner voice.

In Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment Martin Seligman writes, “Weigh up your life once a year. If you find you are getting short weight, change your life. You will usually find that the solution lies in your own hands.” Leadership and organization systems consultant and author, Meg Wheatley, has found that reflection “is for me a lifesaver; it is not just a nice thing to do if you have the time. It is the only way you can survive … without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”

Here are a few blogs to help you pause, reflect, and focus during the Holidays:

• “The Learning Paradox: Slowing Down to Go Faster

• “The Acceleration Trap: Frantic Busyness and Priority Overload is Overwhelming Way Too Many Teams and Organizations

• “Reader Reflections on Frantic Busyness, Priority Overload, and The Acceleration Trap

• “Reclaim Your Time, Reclaim Your Life

• “Leaders Focus on Reflection and Renewal

• “A Fable and Thoughts on Reflection and Renewal

• “Leadership Reflections from Warren Bennis

Happy — and reflective — Holidays!


For over three decades, Jim Clemmer’s keynote presentations, workshops, management team retreats, seven bestselling books, articles, and blog have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. The Clemmer Group is the Canadian strategic partner of Zenger Folkman, an award-winning firm best known for its unique evidence-driven, strengths-based system for developing extraordinary leaders and demonstrating the performance impact they have on organizations.