In fast-moving businesses, speed can feel like strength. Decisions need to be made, questions answered and conversations moved forward.
But during a six-month Make Your Mark with Susan Room® programme for emerging leaders at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Rachel Humphries discovered that one of the most powerful leadership tools is also one of the simplest: the pause.
What began as a practical development goal became a shift in how Rachel contributed, listened, asked questions and created space for others.
As she says: “Pause before you respond. Simple in theory. Harder in practice when the world rewards fast decisions.”
Learning to lead with more intention
Rachel was one of 12 emerging leaders selected for a six-month Make Your Mark programme across the LexisNexis Risk Solutions Data Services business line. Her focus was clear from the outset. She wanted to pause more intentionally before responding in conversations and meetings, giving herself time to reflect and creating more space for others to contribute.
For Rachel, the pause was not about hesitation or uncertainty. It was about presence, judgement and connection.
“What I learned: pausing doesn’t signal that you don’t know the answer. The pause itself is the message.”
That insight became central to her development. Instead of rushing to advise, answer or fill the space, Rachel began to use the pause to choose more deliberate language, time her interventions more effectively and notice when to ask a better question.
Words like arrows
One of Rachel’s favourite tools from the programme was the mantra “words like arrows".
The phrase helped her think not only about what she wanted to say, but how her words might land. In leadership conversations, that distinction matters. The same message can build trust, close down discussion, create clarity or cause unintended impact, depending how and when it is delivered.
Through the programme, Rachel worked on practical tools she could use every day: pausing before responding, using her hands more intentionally as part of her communication plan, balancing asking with advising, and refining her vocal speed and clarity.
These were small, observable shifts. But over time, they changed how she showed up.
From personal impact to business impact
What stood out about Rachel’s engagement with the programme was the way she connected personal development to business impact.
At the final Demonstrate Your Impact session, Rachel presented her progress to Dean Curtis, LexisNexis Risk Solutions Data Services, Group CEO and the rest of the cohort. Her slide deck showed how she had turned simple development goals into visible, measurable change. (slide usage courtesy of Rachel Humphries).
Her personal impact theme was “presence in pause, power in connection”. Her business impact was equally clear: more space for others, more ideas surfacing, stronger connections and increased collaboration.
Rather than seeing communication as something separate from performance, Rachel treated it as part of how trust, engagement and better thinking are built.
Making progress visible
Rachel measured her own progress across four practical areas: pausing, using hand gestures intentionally, asking versus advising, and voice control.
Her self-ratings increased in each area: pausing from 4 to 8, hand gestures from 2 to 6, asking versus advising from 4 to 9, and voice control from 6 to 9.
Just as importantly, the change was noticed by others.
“Rachel is much calmer in her approach and that’s because of the attention to how she is projecting. This translates to being more measured and intentional.”
That is the value of sustained development. The aim is not simply to learn new techniques in a workshop. The aim is to apply them in real conversations, build them into daily habits and make the change visible to colleagues, managers and the wider business.
The power of a correctly timed pause
Looking back on the programme, Rachel described the pause as deceptively simple but deeply powerful.
It gave her more choice in the moment. It helped her listen more fully, speak more intentionally and create room for others. It also strengthened her ability to judge whether a situation needed advice, a question or simply more space.
“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a correctly timed pause.”
For emerging leaders, that kind of awareness can be transformative. Presence is not about dominating the room. It is about knowing how to contribute with intention, how to invite others in and how to use voice, language and timing to build trust.
Rachel’s experience is a powerful example of how Make Your Mark builds practical communication skills over time:
“The course really caught my attention as it is those small, daily habits to refine that we so regularly forget about or put off. Being intentional with this work has made me so much more aware of myself and has held me accountable. I am truly grateful for the opportunity”.
Help your emerging leaders communicate with greater confidence, presence and impact.
If you are an HR, Talent or L&D leader looking to support emerging leaders to communicate with greater clarity, confidence and intention, learn more about Make Your Mark For Emerging Leaders.
