Why sometimes the most powerful move is… stopping.
The Human Edge
Building thriving organisations one entrepreneur, leader and manager at a time.
Hello friends!
Welcome to the 5th edition of our newsletter! Suhana here, and can you believe we’re less than 1.5 months away from 2025? Where does the time go?
As always, a heartfelt thank you for following along—it truly means the world. If you’re enjoying this little corner of the internet, help us spread the love. Invite your friends and colleagues to join us ( ? Newsletter Follow Link). Who knows, they might just pick up a nugget of wisdom or two. ??
Today, I’m hitting pause to revisit the basics—because sometimes the best move is to stop, breathe, and refocus. So without further ado, here’s the sommaire?(because, let’s be honest, French just makes everything fancier):
Why sometimes the most powerful move is...stopping
December isn’t exactly known for its downtime. With the year-end frenzy in full swing, the idea of taking a breather—let alone pausing—can feel counterproductive. After all, we live in a world that glorifies speed, action, and progress.
Yet, some of the greatest breakthroughs—personal and professional—don’t come from constant motion. They arise in the moments when we pause, breathe, and reflect. They happen in the *stillness*.
This is especially true in mentoring relationships. The transformative moments aren’t always in the leaps forward but in the quiet pauses when mentor and mentee stop to ask:
Stopping to reflect isn't a sign of weakness or inaction; it’s one of the most powerful moves we can make.
Why pausing matters in mentoring
In mentoring relationships, the pressure to keep moving is real. Mentees often focus on hitting milestones, solving problems or meeting deadlines. But the magic often lies in hitting pause. Here’s why stopping to reflect is so impactful:
Clarity
Pausing creates space for mentees to see the bigger picture. Instead of rushing forward, they can reflect:
This clarity leads to more intentional, impactful decisions.
Self-awareness
Reflection builds a better understanding of strengths, blind spots, and patterns. While mentors guide the process, the real breakthroughs come from mentees’ own insights, born in moments of stillness.
Resilience
Pausing isn’t just about celebrating wins; it’s about learning from setbacks. Creating space to process challenges helps mentees recalibrate and move forward stronger.
Connection
Pausing fosters trust and authenticity. These moments deepen the mentor-mentee relationship, making the journey meaningful, not just transactional.
How to cultivate the art of stopping
Stopping isn’t always easy—it can feel unnatural in our fast-paced world. But it’s a skill you can build. Here’s how:
Ask reflective questions
Before jumping into action, pause and ask:
Create reflection rituals
Build pauses into your routine, whether through journaling, regular check-ins, or guided reflections.
Embrace the discomfort
Stillness can feel awkward, especially when you’re wired for action. Lean into it. The best insights often emerge when you let the stillness settle.
Our practice at The Human Edge
At The Human Edge , we dedicate time during our weekly huddles to pause. Coming from the tech and startup world that's constantly in movement and chasing the next round of investment, this felt sooooo unnatural to me at first, but it became a game-changer. These pauses helped me reflect on my wins, challenges, and values, while learning from my teammates and building deeper connections.
Some of the reflective questions we use and openly share our answers with each other are:
Even 15 minutes of reflection each week can make a difference.
An invitation to pause and reflect
To help you close out the year on a meaningful note, we’re hosting a guided reflection session with Nadine Asmar . This is your chance to pause, take stock of 2024, and step into 2025 with clarity and purpose.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
Through guided exercises, paired sharing, and group discussions, we’ll turn reflection into actionable insights.
Event Details:
??? Date: 5 December 2024
? Time: 1–2:30 PM UK Time
?? Location: Zoom
We can’t wait to reflect with you. See you there!
The basics of a successful mentoring programme, our tips!
Earlier this month, Kat Bury and Susie Prince dove into your burning questions, sharing practical tips and expert insights on how to design and manage effective mentoring programmes. Here are a few of their takeaways:
Securing leadership buy-in: Want leadership on board? Show them the impact! Connect your mentoring goals to big-picture outcomes like talent development, employee engagement, or succession planning to make a stronger case for support.
Setting up mentors and mentees for success:?Preparation is everything! Equip mentors and mentees with the training they need to thrive. Clear expectations, communication tools, and strategies for navigating challenges can pave the way for productive, trust-filled partnerships.
Matching mentors and mentees: It’s both an art and a science! Pairing people based on skills, goals, and preferences (with a dash of intuition) can create connections that truly flourish. Susie shared more on this in the replay.
Missed the replay? Catch the replay to dive deeper into these insights, explore our 7-step framework, and discover even more tips to level up your mentoring programme!
To get our other Monthly Newsletter, where we cover more mentoring-related topics and frequently seek mentors and mentees for our programmes, simply subscribe here to have it delivered directly to your inbox.
If you are interested in learning how you could bring mentoring to your work and how mentoring-centred personalised learning programmes can enhance the impact of your initiatives, contact us now at [email protected].
Talk soon!
Curriculum Manager at The Human Edge (formerly Mowgli Mentoring)
3 个月Congratulations Suhana C. & the rest of the team behind this newsletter! Stopping should be simple, yet it isn't always easy, so thank you for the reminder to work on that muscle and create space for it. It reminded me of the quote by John Dewey: "We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience." Start small rather than wait for a right time —perhaps pausing for just a few minutes each day—is a good way to begin.