Have you ever noticed that the decision you make from a more neutral mind, one with more perspective, is often different than a decision you make when you're reactive? Or have you noticed when you communicate from a neutral mind, feedback or tough conversations land better?

Recently, I spent some time with one of my longer-term clients and their leadership team. They have grown rapidly in the last few years and decided to take some time out as a team and recalibrate. In their commitment to do what is best for the organization, their employees and their clients, they understand that having time to reflect, create space and look at “what is” allows them to bring fresh thinking and perspective to their leadership.

This team also understands that the quality of their minds is reflected in their decision making, their leadership and their communication. So, taking a time out to slow down, reflect and have thoughtful conversations is critical. 

During this 2-day workout session, we had a really interesting conversation about moods and decision making. Making decisions based on your mood doesn't sound smart, yet when we're honest, we can all see times when that is exactly what we do. 

When we’re in a reactive, insecure, upset mood, we may create strategies that are short-sighted. We are more impulsive, intense, our minds accelerate, and our communication deteriorates. When we’re low, everything looks harder and we can often discourage ourselves. We don’t see we’re in a low mood, so we take all our thinking to heart.

When we don’t see our mood, or we take our moods seriously, we start to make decisions that are less ideal. We have conversations that don’t go as well. However, when we SEE it, we are able to navigate towards a more powerful internal resource.

In business, we're making decisions on the daily basis that impact the organization and/or its people. We're also having conversations all day long. Conversations that are driving the tone, the culture and the direction of people and teams.

Getting good at spotting your moods, your reactivity or lack of neutrality results in more power and wisdom in decision making and in any conversation.

Said another way, there is power and wisdom in a more neutral mind or a less reactive mind.

When our minds are clear, free and less distorted we are naturally more neutral. We get insightful thinking to help us deal with problems and communication issues. The more ease and neutrality we have, the more mental bandwidth we have. 

Agitation, reactivity, uses bandwidth that would otherwise be used to help resolve an issue.

An agitated mind is what we do to our mind when we overthink or bear down on something; particularly in an anxious way or intense way.

The feeling of a clear mind is one of ease, well-being, neutral, lack of tension. 

We can have a neutral, unstressed mind in any situation if we can ignore our agitated thinking.  Our minds are designed to clear. Left to their own devices, our minds reset.

From a less encumbered mind, we have more clarity; we are more neutral.

Neutral takes us beyond our mood or reactivity and gives us the ability to see and perceive ‘what is’. From this place, we are able to address the situation or individual with more wisdom.

Even when the situation is complex or started in a place of tension, it is possible to experience more neutrality. 

How? By seeing it. When we get clear that our state of mind is impaired, we can do what makes sense and is most helpful in the moment.

When we respect a clear, neutral mind more than a reactive one, we recalibrate naturally.

From here, we are able to access our higher intelligence, and bring our best thinking and problem solving to the table. When we come from a neutral mind, we know how to proceed, and we do it with more wisdom and insight.