A pause in momentum can be frustrating - we might feel like we've gone off track, lost our 'mojo', or perhaps aren't as competent as we thought. Yet pausing serves an important purpose. Considering the 'power of the pause' and embracing 'dormant phases' can support an innovation journey.
Nature can assist us to understand and accept the significance of a dormant period within a growth cycle. Fruit trees, and other deciduous trees, have frequent times of inactivity - a dormant phase. During dormancy, growth slows, energy is conserved and stores are used to stay alive during the winter until milder weather returns.
Depleted from flowering or fruiting, avid gardeners understand that dormancy is a key time for pruning, preventing disease, and providing the tree with nutrients. Beneath the surface during a dormant phase, the roots of a tree often extend out further, creating a stronger base. The next growth cycle is anticipated and cultivated.
We might use our understanding of this organic process to lean into pauses in momentum when innovating or leading change. Like deciduous trees, a pause doesn't necessarily mean going backward or a lack of will, it could simply demonstrate a need to slow down, some time to reflect, and the need to nourish.
As leaders during a period of dormancy in an individual or team, we must give those we lead grace and permission to be learners. We prompt Innovators to become Meaning Makers by sharing stories and prompting reflection on individual and collective experiences. Emergent Moments surface and guide us as we anticipate the next leap forward. Dormancy provides us with an opportunity to more deeply 'root' our purpose and practices.
Dormancy has its purpose. Trees don't produce fruit all year long - we can't innovate/change all year long either. We need time to prepare for the next spring.