The Leadership Pause: Sharpen Your Attention, Deepen Your Presence, and Navigate the Future

by Chris L. Johnson

Pause to take your leadership from functional to excellent to embodied!

In The Leadership Pause, master somatic leadership coach, trauma psychologist, and mindfulness instructor Chris L. Johnson takes you on a guided journey into your most truthful future as a leader. Johnson’s call to action is for all leaders—new and seasoned professionals alike—to take on the important practice of pausing.     

The Leadership Pause shows how to quiet the noise of the daily hustle so you can hear the still-small voice of purposeful curiosity that lives within you, which breeds wisdom in both work and life. 

The Leadership Pause teaches 


the gift of mindful awareness that leads to clarity of mind and heart, reduced stress, and increased resilience;
a deeper connection to self; 
a clearer vision of the natural leader resting just beneath the surface. 

Johnson shares stories from established and powerful leaders about how they’ve used pause practices to transform their previous strategies and ways of thinking and behaving to find greater meaning and purpose in their work. This book is for anyone looking to deepen their impact on the lives around them, leave a profound mark on their organizations, and build a legacy of intentional focus, pragmatic ambition, grounded compassion, and empathy-in-action.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Leadership, Self Help

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 12, 2022

Reviews

[Heather Coffee_Kindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This to me felt like a more modern and up-to-date version of Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, with beneficial, practical advice to support you in your busy working life, walking you through techniques of pause, breathing, and bringing your best self to the situation.

Chris Johnson talks about the importance of the pause, which can help us make better decisions and communicate in a more compassionate and appropriate way with each other.

Personally I believe this book is useful to us all in our personal and professional lives, linking in with stress and how this affects us, referencing some well known psychosociologists and researchers.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I believe this book is pertinent to personal life as well as business. The struggle with daily stress is real and seems to be increasing each year. This book walks you through techniques of pause, breathing, and centering yourself to feel good and stay on the right path (again, for personal as well as work issues).

Received the book from Goodreads Giveaway, thank you!

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because I felt like I was running out of breath, ideas, passion and most of all that I had become too busy to even appreciate the small wins I made while leading. It is the right book to read, especially because now and for young people-it is all about the hustle, about wanting a life unlike that of our folks, and also get to travel, have fun and share it with the world on social media- but reading this book is the subtle reminder that you can wear yourself out chasing it all- and you need to pause, stop and reflect and continue in your journey or redirect your energy.
It's an encouraging book and I have the feeling that anyone in advocacy, who is constantly fighting for change would appreciate it more.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Leadership Pause offers practical advice on how to remain a level-headed leader who maintains a good outlook while managing life's stressors. In today's society, leaders face the challenge of being unable to separate their personal and professional lives, with the age of technology being extremely demanding. The main takeaway is that while this can exacerbate stress and lead to irrational decision-making or poor interactions with others, it is important to pause, meditate, and rethink things before acting on impulses.

Thank you to NetGalley, Greenleaf Audiobooks, Chris L. Johnson for this ARC of The Leadership Pause.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this audio book. Chris Johnson’s new leadership title has lots of helpful information about what it takes to be a leader in today’s world. He encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and try new techniques to make you a more effective leader. The chapter on multitasking was especially helpful to me as I try to multitask often and didn’t realize the effects it has on my daily routine. Going forward I will try to focus on one task at a time to improve my overall performance and productivity.

[Tarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been one tenth as long and contained the same amount of substance.

For anyone looking for advice on leading teams well, skip this book. Leadership practicalities were sparse and the author never explained how to influence people through a period of pause or how to convince a team to take a pause.

As for the pause... I'm still not sure what that even means. It wasn't until 20% into the book that the author gave the definition: "to intentionally direct attention toward where it’s most effective." But what does this mean, practically?
Taking a deep breath?
Meditation? Physical activity?
Regular vacations? Cutting out distractions?
Reflection exercises?
The author would probably answer yes to all of those, but they were all presented as solutions to stress and self-improvement, all at once. Listening on audio, I could not detect any organization or structure.

The bulk of this book was new-age mumbo jumbo that felt out of touch from a mainstream organizational leader's realistic life. There was lots of talk about "energy" and "embodying," and, while there were actionable recommendations, the reader had to dig to find them.

A few things the book did right:
•The author re-framed stress using compelling research into good versus bad, which seems like a newer concept in today's leadership circles.
•The examples allowed readers to see the pause adapted for different circumstances. Every reader can find themselves in at least one of the case studies.
•I do think the reflection questions work in an audio format.

However, this book needed some massive re-packaging and cropping of the emotionalized language.

People who may enjoy this book more than me are those who:
•Follow Brené Brown
•Enjoy Eastern mindfulness practices
•Seek stress management techniques

I gave this 5/100 on my likelihood to read again scale.

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the arc. All opinions are my own.

[Chelsea Kowal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my 7th book of the year (2023).

Let me begin by saying I have read many books on being a better leader and most of them are very repetitive and wordy. This book was just like those other nonfiction/self help books. To be completely honest, there was nothing I really learned from this book. It felt very fluffy, full of the same concept said ten thousand different times. I am sorry to say it felt short of my expectations. I could honestly summarize the entire book into one sentence: “It is important to stop and reflect when you are a leader.”

However, I will share some things that stuck out to me.

-It is important to remember that stress can be positive
-There are ways to increase your “window of tolerance”
-Take time to give your full attention to yourself and others.
-Our quick reactions (fight, flight or freeze) can affect our performance.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that the so-called “Leadership Pause” reminded me of a skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, called the STOP skill. Yes, it is definitely important to stop and pause before acting, especially in leadership positions.

There were many meditation practices throughout this book. However, I personally did not enjoy them, as I do not do well with meditations.

Lastly, I have to say I really enjoyed the questions at the end of each chapter. The questions were probably my favorite part of the book, as they made me think.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was ok.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chris L. Johnson (the author) and Greenleaf Audiobooks (the publisher) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, McMillan Audio and Chris L. Johnson for allowing me to listen to an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book for an honest review. I’m thankful to have stumbled across it in Netgalley’s “available for listening now” section. This book was published and made available to the public on July 12, 2022.

The Leadership Pause encourages leaders where they are to pause and assess their mental health, physical health, customer service, and proficiencies in order to gain a fresh (more positive and productive) perspective.

My key 🔑 takeaways:
1️⃣ Throw away the old adage that knowledge is power and accept the new adage as practice is power.

<<< I have to agree with this statement. Practice, no matter how good we are at something, can only increase our stamina and magnify out energy, delivery, and environment. >>>

2️⃣ Being able to shift perspective is increasingly important.

<<< Higher Education (my field of work and study) is a constantly changing canvas. I learn each and every day how important it is to meet students where they are. It’s what they desire and it’s honestly what’s most important to their success. >>>

3️⃣ I loved this quote from Jack Kornfield that the authors leaves readers with as he closes out the book:

“In the end, these things matter the most:
How well did you love?
How fully did you live?
How deeply did you learn to let go?”

Although this read didn’t teach me a lot of new leadership philosophies and concepts, it did challenge my to take time to reflect, regroup, reorganize, and reevaluate my life…

⭐️How and where I can improve.
⭐️What I have to offer myself.
⭐️What I have to offer others.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Leadership Pause is such a good reminder to truly be present for not only yourself, but for the sanity of your business and home life fusion. In the mayhem of today, it is so evident that we all need the capacity to pause, to truly listen to all of the feedback around us, and be better models for the leadership we possess and the leaders that we want to be.

The author, Chris L. Johnson, helps to put leadership pauses into perspective, pulling from guided interactions, personal experience, and client stories from their experiences as a leadership coach. I appreciate the frank language and honest approach to attempts, pitfalls and all of the baggage that we hold in our own ways to success. The guided questions in each chapter allow personal reflection and small steps to help us progress along our leadership paths, without preaching or without acknowledging the difficulty in achieving success.

I believe this is an excellent option for leaders who have been stuck in a rut of constant "go culture" and "never enough" mentalities that prevent us from being our best selves. Despite the fact that this book is full of self-acknowledged woo-woo phrases, I wanted to share this with my entire team after just reading the introduction!

The Chris's narration was great - solid even tone and engaging for my listening and appropriate excitement for the topic.

Thank you to Greenleaf Audiobooks for the digital ARC via NetGalley!

[Laura (thenerdygnomelife) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- I started listening to this book in a very busy season of business, which meant that its central message arrived at a particularly fitting time. I appreciated the quote “live a life by design, not by default.” Author Chris L. Johnson, a leadership coach and trauma psychologist provides a solid primer on intentional leadership.



For those who are new to leadership, I think this book is great for touching on a broad range of important topics, including management of your calendar to respect personal space needs, connecting to your team and their emotions, pushing past your comfort zone, and reflective goal setting.

If you’re already knee-deep in reading personal development and business books, you’ll likely find it reinforcing and blending familiar themes, without adding too much new to the conversation. Most useful to me were the reminders to actively schedule buffer time into my calendar, so that I always have space for reflective time protected in my schedule, and the reminder that stress itself is not bad, but that your signature stress reaction may be. In many ways, as you’d expect from a professional coach and therapist, this book reads like a therapy session — and if you’re in the right mind frame to receive that and put it to constructive use in your life and business, it can be helpful. In a business world that easily and chronically asks more of us, it can be difficult to get off the hamster wheel, and Johnson provides a few helpful strategies for breaking the cycle.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm not alone in feeling like the world has been upended, again. After the 2106 election, COVID, George Floyd's murder, Roe being overturned, etc. it's been hard to get myself (and my nervous system) back on track. I did the obvious things like working out, quit drinking, stopped watching the news, and still couldn't find my ground. It was a bit scary.

No doubt that we are changed forever by the events in our lives, and I want to use them a force for good - not fear or cynicism or anger. Enter, "The Leadership Pause" with the promise of giving you back your attention, presence, and the ability to navigate the very uncertain future. Okay, I figured I'd give it a whirl. Well, it did help me do that, and gave me back my confidence and self-trust too.

The sh*t will always be swirling around us, especially with technology making it so accessible and falsely urgent. This book helped me to be more clear on *what matters most* and how to direct my energy toward that by slooooooowing things down. Taking a small pause is all we need to reset, check-in with ourselves, and then CHOOSE what action we take next. Simple, not easy! The practices and prompts in the book are doable and effective(!) for leaders and everyday people like me seeking to find calm in the chaos.

[Heather K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and there is so much inspiration and motivation within- of course the entire time I was breaking the primary premise of "pay attention" because I listened while working. I will be adding this to my list of personal development books to buy a copy and journal with. And for anyone who reads a lot of leadership and self development books, this is one of least condescending ones I've read with "Leadership" in the title- loved it just for that fact!
Some favorite quotes:
"Your future success will depend on y9our ability to pause"
"smart hygiene" - I love this term
"splitting attention affects how long you can sustain attention" - hit hard for me!

I would recommend this to anyone feeling overwhelmed, not just leaders. The guidance included in this is good for all interactions with coworkers and family- I don't believe you NEED to be in a leadership path or position to get something good from this (although the way some sections are worded will make it seem that way)

I recieved an ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Sunil Rajasekar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed this book to remind me to take a pause and reconnect with myself and my intuition.

Take-Aways
Life is not supposed to be frantic and frenzied. Take a pause; take many pauses.
Periodic restorative pauses enable mindfulness and help you hear your inner “still, small voice.”
To pause properly, learn to control your breathing.
“It’s all in your head” sounds derisive, but your mind-set is all-encompassing.
Never let go of the “thread” that connects you to the important aspects of your life.
Your daily practices define who and what you are.
Life unfolds in a series of habits. The best ones are positive behaviors you develop purposefully.
Habits help so you don't have to think about creating new neural pathways.
Solidifying new habits and routines isn’t easy. A coach or mentor can help.

[Shawna Oertley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Chris’ book is many things:
- eye-opening to circumstances we may take for granted to the point we don’t even realize our current situations;
- so calming & reassuring in the simplicity of what it takes to refocus our time & selves, and thus the aforementioned circumstances;
- very easy to read, with its multitude of compelling stories;
- interesting to learn of various practices from Chris’ own background that prove to be excellent examples;
- intriguing how this book applies not only to professional leadership, but to all experiences involving initiative, oversight, & encouragement; and
- a treasure trove of brilliant quotes that makes one - (yes!) - pause and think!
I’ve been recommending this to many! Thanks for sharing such great insights, Dr Chris!

[Karen Skerrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "Must Read"!

I have yet to find another practice more valuable in my own life and that of my client's than the power of the pause. Carefully researched and filled with relatable stories, Chris has beautifully integrated a wealth of material from a variety of fields. The exercises are meaningful as well as practical and already among some of those rated as 'most helpful' for the clients I've shared them with.
Learning to pause is the heart of relational resilience and a key to bringing our best selves to every encounter.
We can all benefit from this wise book.

Karen Skerrett, PhD.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I was given access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The leadership pause is okay. It has its merits in how easy to remember and versatile the pause is and how it integrates easily with deep breathing exercises and other mindfulness practice. But it's also vague enough that it isn't saying much. There is also some "woowoo" stuff sprinkled in about "energy flows" that is not based in science. The quotes she gives from people who used the pause don't teach me anything. It's like they just focus on focusing and become successful.
If this book convinced me of anything it's to enroll my son in Aikido classes.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book by Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

I have like warm feelings about this book. It reminds me of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg except Sandberg is telling you to go all in while Johnson is telling you to be mindful and catch your breath.

I do really like that this book is meant for any kind of leader from CEO to Girl Scout troop. I’d recommend it to someone that hasn’t read other books resilience and mindfulness as a leader.

[Brenda Hojonski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Leadership Pause is a helpful book outlining the reasoning and science behind taking a minute, or longer, to pause and reflect. Helpful in all areas of your life, the author outlines ideas and adds stories both personally to the author and from those she has coached in a way that not only helps you understand why the practice of pausing is helpful in life, but will improve your leadership ability. Narrated by the author, the recording was clear and concise.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on leadership and learning out to take a step back to re-evaluate and see the big picture. I like the concept discussed here, emphasizing the importance, especially in leadership to Pause. Highly recommend this book for those who are advocates of evolving their leadership role.

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the eARC.
#NetGalley

[Kenneth Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent primer on Leadership. I highly recommend a read.

[Jenny K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to GoodReads and the author for a Kindle edition of this amazing book!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be mandatory leadership reading so we can all be more present and aware. Would recommend!

[Tzu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm missing the new, big idea. This is the same stuff told over again.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to receive a copy of the audiobook.

[Jodi Lasky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris and I met a few years ago, but had lost touch. When I saw her book, I was excited to read it.

It didn't disappoint. It delves further than many books into how to use those moments when you stop and breathe. Good exercises and fantastic reminders.

[Gina Ivana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t vibe with this book like at all. My English teacher used to always take points away because my papers had too much fluff…now I get it…WAAAYY too much “fluff”.

[Tracie Barone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good perspectives and practices to try.

[Jacqueline]

“Presence is the lively combination of a confident and relaxed body, assertive conversation skills, and positive, engaging energy that emanates a kind of energy field that attracts others”. Dr. Johnson provides a well-researched framework for leading with your best self. Her writing is engaging and full of different practical ways to focus on what matters most to you as a person so that you can lead from the best part of your being. This isn’t a book about running away to a retreat center to find yourself. It is a guide to finding yourself in the midst of the chaos and beauty that is life every day.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for those interested in fine tuning their leadership practices by quieting the noise and taking meaningful pauses.