Last week marked a significant number of holidays and observances. There was Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Emancipation Day, Passover and Easter. Throw in Arbor day here in Colorado and a handful of people that observe tax day and you’ve got a lot of reasons to celebrate. In a discussion with my good friends at Colorado Thought Leader’s Forum, we were prompted by Ed Schenkein to think about what this time of year means to us and how it applies to how we lead our companies. We talked about some of our different religious views, traditions, and the season of spring. Although I went to an Episcopalian school from 3rd-8th grade, I was raised largely without formal religion in my life. I believe that led me to be very accepting of people of different religions, diverse perspectives, and varied backgrounds.

It got me thinking how that has carried over to my perspective in business and leadership. I like to think that I’m a very accepting person. Inclusiveness is one of my core values and ostracizing people for any reason makes me really uncomfortable. But as I pondered this, I realized there are times in my life when my acceptance is thoughtful and as much as I don’t want to admit it, there are times when my acceptance is lazy.

It’s very easy to claim acceptance and not take the time to understand exactly what you are accepting. This is what I mean by lazy acceptance. We say all perspectives are welcome, but we don’t take the time to understand what those perspectives are or why people believe what they believe. We think that because we don’t push back against it, that it must mean that we accept it. While this might not seem like a terrible thing, I’m not sure it’s at the heart of what it means to be accepting.

On the flip side, thoughtful acceptance occurs when we take time to gain a deeper understanding of what we are accepting (and who). When we ask questions and approach these situations with curiosity, we expand our perspective, grow our knowledge and strengthen our connections with others. We gain a greater appreciation for others and our commitment to accepting what we’ve learned is solidified in this understanding. To me this is what it really means to be accepting.

Most of us lead really busy lives, with what seem to be unrelenting demands. Time is a precious resource that there never seems to be enough of. This was a great reminder for me of the importance of thoughtful acceptance especially as it relates to how I want to show up as a leader. As you encounter situations that call for you to be accepting of others, I challenge you to invest a little bit of that precious time to make sure your acceptance is thoughtful and not lazy.