56| Slow Down to Speed Up: The Power of the Pause to Accelerate Continuous Learning

Chain of Learning: Empowering Continuous Improvement and Lean Change Leaders

How often do you find yourself racing from meeting to meeting, rushing through tasks, or filling every silence with your own voice?

In our doing-oriented culture, pausing feels uncomfortable—even counterproductive. Yet left unchecked, our instinct for action and answers can limit learning, development, and innovation.

In this episode, I explore the power of the pause and why mastering it may be one of the most transformative leadership habits you can develop.

Pausing with purpose—slowing down to create space for silence, reflection, and intentional action—actually accelerates your impact. It’s in the pause—the space between our “doing”—that learning deepens, decisions improve, and people grow.

Whether you’re leading a team, coaching others, or developing your own learning mindset, this episode will help you discover the power of the pause to drive performance, engagement, and lasting change.

YOU’LL LEARN:

• Why silence feels uncomfortable—and how our instinct to fill the space with our thinking limits growth, reflection, and learning
• How embracing ma (間), the Japanese concept of “ meaningful space between”, creates the conditions for learning, understanding, and transformation
• The importance of intentional reflection (hansei) to cultivate a learning culture rooted in continuous improvement
• Why mastering the pause creates ripple effects across your team, transforms your leadership, and leads to better results
• Three ways to develop the power of the pause as a transformational leadership habit to create clarity, ownership, and insight

IMPORTANT LINKS:

• Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/56
• Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
• Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:

01:50 The benefits of mastering the pause

02:12 Why silence is uncomfortable making us want to keep things moving
05:05 Katie’s aha moment of the telling habit
08:58 How to pause to create space for others to think

10:16 How the pause is used in Japanese culture
13:18 The meaning of ma (間) and how to apply this concept
15:41 How reflection (hansei) is deeply rooted in Toyota’s culture
16:17 An example of how Agustín created pauses in the busyness of the usual work routines to give space for conversations

17:47 Why the power of the pause is three-fold
17:51 [ONE] Restore the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Adjust) cycle
18:20 [TWO] Pausing gives others space to think
18:46 [THREE] The pause shifts you from being reactive to proactive
19:40 Three ways to practice the power of the pause
19:44 [FIRST] Count silently to 10 after you ask an open question
20:01 [SECOND] Schedule reflection and thinking time for yourself and for your team
20:22 [THIRD] Practice the Intention Pause
21:32 The benefits of holding back before sharing your idea

Apply for the May 2026 Japan Leadership Experience
https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/