Momentum is important in your career, especially one that is fast-paced. It’s easy to get caught up in the motion of daily tasks, routine decisions, and reactive problem-solving. Sure, it’s important to take care of your company’s daily needs, and being flexible with sudden issues and changes is a vital skill, but it’s easy to let yourself fall into autopilot. Soon, you’re trapped in a cycle of ticking off endless goals, chasing promotions, and meeting deadlines without stopping to reflect on whether they are truly aligned with your aspirations.
The Stop-Look-Choose method is a powerful way to shift out of this automatic mode and take control of your career trajectory. At its core, this philosophy encourages you to wake up, reflect intentionally, and make conscious choices that align with your personal and professional values.
Stop: Pause to Assess Your Current Path
Stopping doesn’t mean giving up or slowing down. It means coming off of automatic and not allowing limiting fixed beliefs and fixed behaviors to determine how you show up. It means taking a moment to breathe, reflect, and recalibrate. In your career, stopping is about evaluating where you are today and how you got here.
Ask yourself:
- Do my current actions align with my long-term career and life goals?
- What assumptions or fears are keeping me from being my best?
- Am I truly fulfilled in the way I show up every day?
Stopping is an act of courage. It requires stepping off the treadmill of “being busy” and confronting truths about yourself. As a leader, this practice also extends to your team—regularly pausing to reflect on organizational priorities, team dynamics, and whether your leadership style is fostering growth.
Look: Gain Awareness of Your Options and Surroundings
Once you come off automatic, the next step is to observe with clarity and intention. Look inward to understand your motivations, strengths, and areas for growth. Then, look outward to identify opportunities, challenges, and new directions.
Some ways to “look”:
- Seek feedback from mentors, peers, and team members to uncover blind spots.
- Research trends in your industry or adjacent fields to spot emerging opportunities.
- Identify options available to you for having a positive impact on those around you.
Assess how your current skills and experiences could be leveraged in innovative ways.
For leaders, this step involves staying attuned to the needs of your team. Are you leading in a way that empowers others? Are you open to new ways of thinking and working? Looking requires you to stay curious and adaptable.
Choose: Take Intentional Action
Awareness alone isn’t enough. Choose is where action meets intention. This step is about making conscious decisions that align with your values, goals, and newfound insights.
Choosing might involve:
- Pursuing a new role or responsibility that challenges you and stretches your skills.
- Letting go of commitments or habits that no longer serve you.
- Setting clear boundaries to protect your time and energy for what matters most.
Every choice you make, whether big or small, signals your priorities to you and your team, and shapes the culture you work in.
The Impact of Stop-Look-Choose
Integrating Stop-Look-Choose into your career and leadership journey creates space to pivot, grow, and thrive. It’s a habit that keeps you aligned with your purpose. Whether you’re just beginning your professional journey or you’re an experienced leader, exercising this method will unlock your ability to seek clarity and foster an environment of mindfulness, innovation, and accountability.
We live in a world that rewards speed and decisiveness, often at the expense of reflection and intention. Yet, true growth and authentic leadership require a balance of action and awareness. Stop-Look-Choose allows you to wake up, step off autopilot, and navigate your career with purpose.
Take the time to stop, look, and choose your next steps. Your future self, and your team, will thank you. To learn more about career and leadership growth, visit Hallett Leadership and nurture your authentic self.
