The Still Point: Why Leaders Must Learn to Pause in a Decision Making Process

Every great decision starts with space to think. Make room for it.

There’s a moment—quiet, small, often overlooked—between stimulus and response. A moment where clarity lives. Most leaders miss it. In the high-stakes world of leadership, the ability to pause is more powerful than reacting. Without that pause, decisions are made from urgency, not wisdom. Leadership becomes a game of catching up instead of shaping direction. You can feel it: the pressure to respond, solve, decide—immediately. But in truth, speed doesn’t make you sharper. Stillness does.

The Power of the Still Point in Decision Making

When you’re in the thick of it—emails, back-to-backs, a team that needs answers—it’s easy to think the answer lies in doing more. But real leadership asks for presence, not motion. The still point is the center you return to—not to delay action, but to ensure it comes from alignment, not anxiety. It’s what keeps you grounded when everyone else is spinning. And it’s where your best decisions begin.

Self-Awareness Starts in the Space Between

Pausing doesn’t mean freezing. It means stepping back, even briefly, to ask:

• What’s really needed here?

• What am I reacting to?

• Is this decision coming from fear or clarity?

The leader who takes that breath—who creates that margin—becomes the anchor in uncertain waters. This is more than a tactic. It’s a way of being.

Your team doesn’t need you to react quickly. They need you to respond wisely.

Your Breath is the Most Underused Leadership Tool You Have

You carry it into every room. You forget it in most.And yet, it’s the fastest way back to presence. Three conscious breaths before you enter a meeting.One deep inhale before you speak.Two minutes of silence between tasks.

That’s the practice. Not to escape—but to return. To yourself. To the moment. To what actually matters.

Why Leaders Must Reclaim the Pause in Decision Making

Without the pause:

• Decisions are rushed.

• Messages are unclear.

• People feel your tension before they hear your words.

With the pause:

• You show up differently.

• You lead with calm clarity.

• You earn trust, not through answers—but through presence.

This is the subtle work most ignore. It doesn’t show up in performance reviews, but it shapes culture, loyalty, and results. Every great leader I’ve known cultivated it—some through silence, some through breath, others through hard-earned mistakes.

Stillness Is Not Inactivity—It’s Informed Action

You don’t pause to avoid pressure. You pause to meet it more fully.In stillness, you don’t lose your edge—you sharpen it.And when you begin making decisions from that space, your leadership begins to carry a different weight.

It’s felt. Trusted. Followed.

Final Thoughts: Be the One Who Leads from Center

The still point isn’t something you find. It’s something you practice.A moment in your breath. A break in your pattern. A shift from noise to awareness.

You can lead from reactivity. Or you can lead from center.The difference? A breath. A pause. A choice.

About Jay

I’m Jay Glaspy, a transformational life and leadership coach based in the Haymarket–Gainesville area and serving clients nationwide. As a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, I bring a grounded, experience-driven approach to helping high performers realign their lives from the inside out. I coach executives, veterans, athletes, and driven professionals in embodied leadership, lifestyle design, and identity alignment so they can build a life they don’t need to escape from. My work blends practical systems with mindful, presence-based leadership. After navigating my own seasons of challenge, recovery, and reinvention, I now help others create clarity, stability, and a way of living that feels honest and sustainable.

Let's connect: jay@commandperformancecoaching.com

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