Useful Inaction ???

I kept hearing the verses of Geeta again and again in the 23 hour flight back home.

( That is the ONLY music on my iPOD apart from a few HBR audio articles and a few Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Gulam Ali and Fateh Ali Khan).

One particular verse keeps reverberating in my mind, from the Karma Yoga. A simplified translation would be something like this -

"Good Action and Bad Action - both are better than Inaction."

I was trying to put it in context ( a much smaller context) for my 2 weeks of inaction. Two weeks I have been out of fire fighting.

Not talked to a single customer. Not coached / planned with any of the managers or leads.

Not written any critical e-mail.

Not participated in any strategy meeting.

All along I ve just trusted the next rung of people in the team and let the inbox build up. Quite un-like me.

I do not like un-read e-mails in my Inbox.

So, this period of inaction has been good or bad ?

I think it has been tremendously good. Certain communication and development that would have made me un-easy, they have shaped over the two weeks by

other responsible people to the state, that I would ve taken them myself to.

Lot of conflicts resolved w/o me. Few other people taking critical decisions. Team has not missed me at all. I ve not lost cool at all on things not done right.

No one has felt a thing. This is humbling for me and very useful for the next tier of leaders in my team. As they have spent some time on their own leadership style and

pace. Not being judged / coached by me. This is good development.

So, is inaction really that bad ? Or may be that was not inaction after all. May be it was good action !

Then I heard the next verse which translates to -

" Person who sees action in inaction and inaction is action is an intelligent person" :)