Meaningful Moments: What Paying Attention Can Teach Us About Leadership
The paintings were finally on the walls. After nearly six months of creating more than thirty new originals, I had traded my brushes for a level, price tags, and a fair amount of rearranging. There is an art to hanging a show, too—although it occasionally involves realizing the painting you just moved looked better where it was.
When everything finally found its place, I paused. Each painting held something that had captured my attention: a spectacular sunrise, a walk through a park, or an unexpected discovery in the studio. Together, they became Meaningful Moments.
Standing there, I thought about how much of our work depends on those same simple practices: noticing what matters, staying curious, and inviting others to contribute.
Pay attention before you take action.
Some of my paintings begin with a subtle change in a familiar place. The scene has been there all along, but something makes me look more closely.
Leadership asks that of us, too, a colleague grows unusually quiet, a member asks a question that reveals an unmet need. Perhaps a conversation after a conference session uncovers something the formal survey never captured.
When schedules are full, it is tempting to move quickly toward the next decision. But useful insight often comes from pausing long enough to ask another question and listening to the answer.
For association leaders and meeting planners, that attention can shape everything from a stronger program to a member who feels heard.
Give curiosity a place in the work.
Alongside the landscapes in my show are contemporary works that began without a clear destination. I explored broad palettes, built textures, and let one discovery suggest the next. At times, I felt like a child in the studio again.
After nearly fifty years as a professional artist, I still need that feeling. Experience gives me a foundation; curiosity helps me grow.
Teams need room for discovery as well. Try a different meeting format. Invite an unfamiliar perspective. Give a promising idea a small trial before deciding whether it belongs in the larger plan. A leader who makes room for thoughtful experimentation gives people a reason to bring their ideas forward.
Create opportunities for others to contribute.
For months, a painting is a conversation between the canvas and me. When I hang it for others to see, that conversation expands.
Someone recognizes a favorite place, another shares a memory I could never have anticipated. Their responses help me see my own work afresh.
The same opportunity exists at a conference or around a leadership table. People arrive with experiences that can enrich the conversation if we give them an opening.
Leave time for discussion. Ask members to share what has worked and make space for the person who has something valuable to say but rarely volunteers first. Their contribution may be what someone else most needed to hear.
Make room for a meaningful moment.
Hanging Meaningful Moments reminded me how easily we move from completing one project to beginning the next.
Before you do, pause. Notice what your team accomplished. Ask what surprised them. Recognize the contributions that might otherwise go unmentioned.
As you plan your next meeting, lead your association, or gather your team, consider this: Where could a little more attention make the experience more meaningful?
That question is worth carrying into the room.
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