As secretary of Yale University in the 1990s, Sheila Wellington often negotiated with city officials in New Haven, Conn., home to the prestigious school.

One item they tangled over was the fate of a couple of campus streets. Yale wanted to close the streets to traffic; the city did not. Every time Wellington raised the issue, the response was No.

But that all changed quickly.

. . .

Don’t be afraid to take time before responding to something someone says, does, or writes, advises Nance Guilmartin, a fellow at ’s Center for Leadership and author of “The Power of Pause,” (Jossey-Bass, 2009).

“In tough situations, when your intuition can be short-circuited by the demand for instant answers, you can, and to be truly effective, you must,” pause and think twice, she says.

Read: “Hurry up and slow down,“ an article from Philly.com.