Pause and Reflect

Leadership Pause is designed to give you a 10 minute break—a chance to open yourself to different perspectives and new ideas. Start by listening to some music while you breathe and clear your mind.

Expand My Perspective

Now focus on the image (play the music again if it helps). Let your mind wander as you think about these questions:

What’s the story of this picture? What’s happening here?
What might have happened 10 minutes before the image? 10 minutes after?
What one element jumps out at me the most?
If I were in this picture what/where would I be?

Personal Application

What messages does the image offer me?
How are my recharging practices similar/different from my colleagues?
Is there something new I want to try to better recharge myself?

Focus on Action

What’s one takeaway from this Leadership Pause?
What’s an action I can take to recharge myself today?

COPIA’s Leadership Pause series is inspired by Points of You®, whose creative tools help leaders discover different perspectives and generate new ideas. Discover Points of You® training options.

Conflict EQ Q&A

In this week's Leadership Pause, we explore an important question: How do I recharge myself? Many leaders focus on productivity, performance, and results, yet overlook the practices that restore energy, focus, and resilience. Sustainable leadership requires both effort and recovery.

Why is it important for leaders to recharge?

Leadership requires emotional, cognitive, and relational energy. Without regular recovery, stress accumulates, decision-making quality declines, patience decreases, and resilience weakens. Recharging helps leaders maintain effectiveness over the long term.

What does it mean to recharge?

Recharging is the intentional process of restoring physical, mental, emotional, and relational energy. It involves activities that help us recover from demands and return to our work and relationships with greater focus, clarity, and presence.

Why do many leaders struggle to recharge?

Many leaders view rest as unproductive or believe they must constantly be available. Others become so focused on meeting responsibilities that they neglect their own recovery needs until stress, fatigue, or burnout become difficult to ignore.

What are signs that I need to recharge?

Common signs include irritability, difficulty concentrating, emotional exhaustion, reduced motivation, increased cynicism, sleep problems, feeling overwhelmed, and a decreased ability to handle pressure or conflict effectively.

Is recharging the same as resting?

Not always. Rest is important, but recharging can also involve activities that create energy and renewal. For some people this may include exercise, hobbies, creative pursuits, meaningful conversations, time in nature, learning, reflection, or spiritual practices.

Why do different people recharge in different ways?

People gain energy from different experiences. Some recharge through quiet reflection and solitude, while others feel restored through connection, activity, adventure, or creativity. Understanding what genuinely renews you is an important part of self-awareness.

How does stress affect my ability to recharge?

Under stress, many people default to coping strategies that provide temporary distraction rather than true recovery. Scrolling, excessive screen time, overworking, or constant busyness may create short-term relief but often fail to restore energy over the long term.

How can I discover what helps me recharge?

Pay attention to activities that leave you feeling more energized, focused, connected, or hopeful afterward. Consider reflecting on times when you felt restored and asking what conditions, people, environments, or activities contributed to that experience.

What role does recharging play in leadership effectiveness?

Leaders who recharge consistently tend to demonstrate greater patience, emotional regulation, creativity, perspective-taking, and decision-making capacity. Recovery strengthens the ability to remain grounded and effective under pressure.

What is the connection between recharging and Conflict EQ?

Conflict EQ is the ability to stay grounded and constructive when tension arises. When leaders are depleted, their capacity for emotional regulation, curiosity, empathy, and thoughtful responses often decreases. Recharging helps restore the internal resources needed to navigate conflict effectively.

What is one simple way to begin recharging today?

Ask yourself: "What activity consistently leaves me feeling more energized rather than more depleted?" Then intentionally create space for that activity this week. Small, consistent recovery practices often have a greater impact than occasional large breaks.