When Slowing Down Becomes Clarity

Slowing Down Is Not a Step Backward

There’s a belief many of us carry, especially in leadership, that slowing down means falling behind.

That if we pause long enough to reflect, we’re losing momentum. That clarity comes from movement, not stillness. That progress requires urgency.

My conversation with Maggie Coulter challenged that belief in a quiet but lasting way.

What came through clearly was this. Slowing down isn’t a step backward. It’s often the moment clarity finally shows up.

Not clarity that demands a dramatic change or a sweeping reinvention. But the kind that helps you see what’s already working, what you’ve learned, and where your attention might be needed next.

Taking an Honest Inventory as a Leader

One of the most practical ideas we talked about was the importance of honest inventory.

Not inventory as self-criticism.
Not inventory as a list of everything you should fix.

But inventory as awareness.

Seeing What You’re Doing Right

Leadership reflection often skips this part. We rush past what’s working and focus only on what feels lacking.

But celebrating what you’ve learned and what you’ve already overcome matters. Those experiences shape how you lead today, whether you acknowledge them or not.

Naming What Needs Attention Without Judgment

Maggie’s work is rooted in the belief that leaders are not broken. Nothing is inherently wrong with them.

From that place, identifying areas for growth doesn’t feel like failure. It feels like intention.

When reflection is grounded in respect for who you already are, improvement becomes thoughtful instead of reactive.

Every Moment Is the Moment

At one point in the conversation, Maggie said something that impacted me.

“Every moment is the moment.”

She shared how her cancer journey forced her to live with the belief that her timeline might be limited. That awareness shaped the choices she made and the changes she was willing to pursue. She didn’t wait for certainty. She made decisions based on how she wanted to live the time she believed she had left.

That perspective stayed with me.

It made me wonder what might shift if I lived with that same awareness. Not from fear, but from intention.

What if I didn’t assume tomorrow was guaranteed?
What if I treated today as something worth showing up for fully?

Would I be more deliberate about how I spend my energy?
Could I be more honest about what’s no longer aligned?
How can I be more active in creating a life I actually want to live instead of floating through while it quietly creates itself?

Leading Without Believing You’re Broken

What I find especially powerful about Maggie’s work is how she creates leaders who don’t believe something is wrong with them.

She holds space for people to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with their own wisdom. Not to fix themselves. Not to become someone else. But to trust what they already carry.

That kind of leadership development is grounding. It builds confidence without forcing certainty. It replaces urgency with clarity.

And it reminds us that leadership doesn’t always require more speed or more answers.

Sometimes it asks for a pause. And a breath.
And an honest look at where you are right now.

Because slowing down doesn’t mean you’re stuck.

It might mean you’re finally paying attention.

A Question to Sit With

Where might slowing down help you see more clearly right now?