Why we need to think as well as do

My usual summer holiday in Gloucestershire will this year have been rebranded a 'staycation', and that was without me even trying to do anything different.

I had a number of grand schemes to cram into this precious fortnight. I was going to go to the gym every other day. I was going to read a series of improving books. I was going to capitalize on my previous reading around the moral dilemmas of assisted suicide, and write an article. I was going to actually talk and listen to my long-suffering husband.

As it turned out, a performance appraisal would definitely put me in the 'could do better' category: I managed two of the four. I'd have said "only managed", but in fact it was a great fortnight. I came back to work refreshed and ready to take on any challenge.

It was a great fortnight because I had space to think about, reflect upon, and react to the books I was reading. I was able to take up some of the opportunities I am normally too busy to take, and refresh and build up relationships. This is something that every leader of every organisation should do, and never more so than in the current climate.

It's all too easy for leaders to substitute activity for thinking - and therefore for leadership. And we've all done it - the number of emails received, the number of meetings chaired, the number of people seen. What we don't like to do is implacably block out swathes of diary time with a metaphorical "do not disturb" sign on the door. What we don't like to say is, "I spent three hours with a blank piece of paper, thinking about how to survive and how to get stronger". It's not easy. I've always had a pathological fear of blank sheets of paper, which goes back to school days. To get this piece actually started I involved myself in a fascinating series of procrastination activities, ranging from tidying the airing cupboard to repainting my nails. Painful experience has given a few helpful techniques to get beyond that blank. In this case it was my holiday reading.

Since joining GBR Search at the beginning of this year, I've become fascinated by the art and science of pitching. What is very clear is that you can't short circuit the prior thinking that goes into the presentation that makes for a really successful pitch. Terry Lovelock, the mind behind one of the most successful advertising campaigns, 'Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach', would go off to a glamorous hotel in Marrakesh for a fortnight in the hope that the muse might reach him. (This and many other good things can be found in Stephen Bayley and Roger Mavity's very readable book, Life's a Pitch.)

Now, just at the moment that sort of expense might not get past the audit committee. Yet the principle remains so true. If you want brilliant thoughts, you must allow for space and stimulus. Only then can the gem of an idea be worked up into something that can be shared with colleagues as part of a future strategy - whether it's market positioning, income generating, cost cutting, or the other big thing that your organisation currently needs. Leaders simply must allow time to reflect. If we don't, we stop leading.

What has also become clear to me is the importance of getting the balance right in the matter of nurturing existing relationships and winning new business. It's too easy to focus on the second at the expense of the first. David Kean and Chris Cowpe, in their equally readable book, How to Win Friends and Influence Profits, maintain that getting more business from existing clients is a great compliment - it's evidence that you're doing a great job for them. In the third sector it's this we need to be thinking about. We need to get that sense of feel-good and positive recommendation. The sort of people I'm thinking about are staff, donors, trustees and volunteers. It's these groups, and the experiences of these groups, that give us the feedback on whether we live up to our values.

But, of course, at the same time we need to be open to new opportunities. Two holiday incidents illustrate this. The first was a book launch I attended. Someone I'd known as a CEO for well over a decade had decided, after two successes, to take the plunge and become a full-time writer of detective novels. The second was a chance meeting on a train. We had a really good conversation which uncovered some shared expertise that was mutually beneficial. My chance companion and I are going to meet again. If I'd just been doing my emails that could never have happened.

Going back to my holiday, which of my two objectives did I manage? The gym never materialised, as I hurt my knee in the garden in the first week. There just wasn't enough time to write the ethics article. But I did get my husband to come to watch a polo match with me (though in return I had to agree to watch some old James Cagney films). And I was so keen to test the theory of my new-found pitching skills after all the reading I did, that this article got written instead of the ethics one.

So, to those who haven't gone on holiday yet, I hope there's some food for thought. And for those who've been away already, there's a Bank Holiday coming up soon...

Sarah Thewlis was a CEO for 14 years and now heads up the not-for-profit practice at GBR Search. From 1^st September 2009 GBR Search will be operating under the same name as their North American colleagues: Gundersen Partners.

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