Silence: The Growth Leader’s Strategic Superpower

3 ways to make space for deep thought every day

Emails, open tabs, notifications, texting in meetings. Repeat.

From the moment we wake up and check our phones, the noise is constant and relentless. It’s now accepted as the norm.

Working in agency growth is no different. If new business is busy, it signals a healthy pipeline. Silence is never a good sign in my line of work.

Somewhere along the way, silence got a bad rap. It got lumped in with slowing down. Which, in the business world, particularly in new-business development, is seen as a negative. It’s an uncomfortable place for most of us.

But by throwing myself into one of the most uncomfortable situations—a three-day silent retreat—I learned that silence isn’t necessarily a scary thing.

In fact, it’s scarily necessary. And a secret leadership weapon.

Attending a silent retreat was a drastic departure from my hyper-connected life as a head of growth and mom of four. No talking, no distractions, no noise. At first, I was uneasy. Silence felt abnormal.

But after a few hours, something shifted. Things I’d shoved to the back in my mind and heart began to move front and center. I could focus on them clearly. Quiet might feel counterintuitive, or even “wrong.” But it’s in that discomfort that true growth blossoms.

Returning home, I went from one extreme to the other. And for the first time, I recognized that silence is a necessity that requires attention and intention. I committed to giving silence a place in my life to counterbalance the noise at work and home.

I’ve reflected on three ways to embrace silence, and the space it creates for deep thought, as a leadership superpower in a world that values noise:

Make Room for Silence

From a leadership perspective, silence allows us space to determine what truly needs focus. But such time won’t just magically appear on its own. You have to intentionally build it into your schedule, like any other important meeting or appointment.

One way to achieve this is to start the day with a moment of silence. Research from Paula Brown found that “inactivity, generally in silence, stimulates brain activity most.” Plan a daily quiet walk or time-block 30 minutes for uninterrupted problem-solving. As Cal Newport notes in Deep Work, this kind of focus is a “rare and valuable skill,” precisely because so few people protect it.

Practice Deep Listening

Know when to cut out extra noise to truly listen. During my silent retreat, with talking prohibited, I noticed I could tune in completely. Not multi-tasking or preparing a smart reply, just absorbing.

Research reported in Harvard Business Review found that the clatter of constant task-switching can reduce productivity by up to 40 percent. When I really hear what a consultant, client, or colleague is saying, I function better as a leader.

Know What You Need and When

Not every circumstance requires careful deliberation. Some situations call for swift action. Like when a client throws last-minute questions over the transom about fees or staffing, or when objectives change 15 minutes before the meeting starts.

But other moments call for space and reflection. These include when a questionable new-business opportunity crosses your desk or it’s time to pause and extract real learnings from an unsuccessful.

The trick is knowing which mode serves you best. And when to shift gears for the right result.

Lately, in a flurry of new-business activity, silence feels impossible, nearly laughable. But that’s when it’s needed the most.

This morning, on a walk before back-to-back meetings, I caught myself reaching for my phone. But I stopped, took a few quiet minutes and came back clearer.

Extreme silence will always be rare. But small pauses—a deep breath, a blocked-off half hour—can add up.

Leaders who make space for quiet, listen fully and respond thoughtfully make sharper decisions than those who never tune out.