This book has been a great listening experience. Thanks to the author and the publisher for bringing this book to life.

The Leadership Pause by Dr. Chris Johnson is a read I would recommend for leaders of all levels. It is such an important reminder for all of us in leadership positions. Dr. Johnson touches up on the importance of pausing, being fully present with the people and situations around us, seeing what collaboration makes possible. As leaders are solving problems, listening to others, and generally navigating the uncertain world around us Dr. Johnson touches on the impact and power a pause can be. We do not have to, and should not, always function with the petal to the metal. Take a pause, take a breathe, and connect with your world, community, and the matters at hand.
Dr. Johnson brings the reader through a number of exercises to help the reader through stressful situations as a leader and a person.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I personally liked that this book was relevant both in my professional and in my daily life. The author, Chris Johnson, stresses the importance of taking a breath or a pause. As a young leader, this feels relatable and outlines a good path and is a good resource for young professionals and people just looking to take a step back and slow down.

This book provides a solid foundation regarding authentic leadership and character development. The author provides compelling stories in a very readable format.

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.

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I honestly couldn't even get through the entire book. I was turned off from the very beginning. The opening was a downer for sure and of course there was the police jab that is particularly popular right now. I only stuck with it because I wanted to give it a chance develop. Without getting into the politics of it all, I gave a pass on the police line due to the specific incident used, but only because of the complexity of it. The book was extremely quote heavy and I couldn't keep up with the acronyms. it was used and explained but later it would come up again and I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was supposed to mean.

I agree with the idea that slowing down can be more beneficial than going 100 miles an hour and there were a few nuggets here and there. But just not enough to keep me coming back.

I had to gear myself up to listen to it and I kept doing that until i just couldn't do it anymore. Maybe in the second half it did a 180 but sorry you lost me in the first 5 hours.

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.

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.

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.

An interesting and helpful book combining meditation, therapy techniques, and management coaching. Well-narrated by the author.

The Leadership Pause is just that, taking a pause while in the moment of leading. Most of the examples were of established businesses and the leaders had fallen into a non-productive groove. Who is this book for? Experienced business leaders who have started trying to evolve or improve and have the time and are willing to slowly incorporate the experiences presented in the book. Who is this book not for? Leaders who are limited in funds and/or time, who want a quick fix or step-by-step guidelines to improve their leading and thus their environment. If that is you, you will do yourself a favor by looking elsewhere.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about leadership. This is a great book for anyone who is wanting to learn more about leadership and to help improve their skills.

Interesting modern self help book. Some really interesting points that will be useful in business and personal life.

Leadership Pause by Chris L Johnson is a valuable resource for those seeking to improve their leadership skills. The book offers practical advice on how to take a step back and reflect on your leadership style in order to make meaningful improvements. Johnson's writing style is clear and concise, making the information easy to understand and apply.
However, if you are an avid reader of leadership books, you may find that the information presented in Leadership Pause is fairly redundant. While the book does provide some unique insights, much of the advice offered has been covered in other leadership books. Therefore, if you're looking for truly groundbreaking ideas, this may not be the book for you.
Overall, Leadership Pause is a well-written and informative book that is worth reading for those looking to improve their leadership skills. While it may not offer groundbreaking ideas for those who have read extensively on the subject, the book still provides valuable insights and practical advice that can help you become a more effective leader.

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.

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.

An almost non-negotiable for me when it comes to non-fiction audiobooks is for the Author to narrate. Fortunately, Chris L. Johnson is Author and Narrator, and does a fair job on both ends.

Previously being in management and continually in a position of being managed, this book caught my attention. I liked the pacing and helpful tidbits throughout to illuminate new ways of finding mindfulness and clarity. The practice of Pausing is the highlighted feature, and Chris L. Johnson teaches the why, how, and when-to use this technique.

I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars but will round to 4 on GoodReads. If you like to find ways for personal and professional growth, this is a great book to add to your TBR. It’s an easy and quick way to find new perspective in your day to day.

Thanks to Greenleaf Audiobooks and NetGalley for an advanced listen to this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinion.


#TheLeadershipPause #netgalley #arc #bookstagram

The COVID pandemic changed so much, it makes sense that it would change leadership. Gone is the day of multitasking and the "all work, no play" mindset. Studies have shown that leaders are more effective and efficient when leaders take time to pause. I thought this was a good book based on leadership backed by research and studies. The audio kept me engaged in the book the entire time.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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 3⭐️s on Goodreads and 5/100 on my likelihood to read again scale.

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