Writing from Inside the Pause

Small Pause writing explores leadership, responsibility, resilience, relationships, and the practice of becoming more honest, steady, and human in the middle of real life.

These reflections are for people who are learning to slow down, listen more carefully, and choose their next step with greater clarity.

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Sunlit forest path with rays of light filtering through trees. Lush green foliage and fallen leaves create a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Stop Leaving Yourself to Chance

So we move through our days reacting to what shows up: the pressure of the moment, the needs of someone else, the mood of a room, the story we tell ourselves after something goes well, or doesn’t.

Dave Lundberg

May 34 min read

A silhouetted person stands outdoors on a hillside, looking out toward a pale sky and distant landscape, with dark tree branches framing the right side of the image.

What Leadership Is Really Asking Us to Learn

Many people do not struggle with leadership because they do not care. They struggle because leadership asks them to communicate from a place they may not have practiced yet. We often think leadership is about asking us to become more decisive, more confident, or better at getting things done by motivating others. There is some truth in that. Leadership does ask us to create movement. It asks us to help people face reality, work together, and move something forward that matter

Dave Lundberg

Apr 185 min read

Gears labeled "Learn," "Lead," "Skill," and "Education" with a hand pointing. Text: "WHY WE NEED TO LET GO OF 'SOFT SKILLS'..."

Why We Need to Let Go of 'Soft Skills' and Embrace Inclusive Skillsets

The idea of soft skills being secondary to technical ones isn’t just a flawed assumption — it’s also incredibly damaging. That’s why we need to let go of the term ‘soft skills’ and replace it with something more useful.

Dave Lundberg

Aug 18, 20254 min read