One of my clients had a difficult situation happen at work yesterday. The simple version of what happened was that decisions about a new program were made a few months ago. He learned new information and wanted to make some changes to the program. Unfortunately, the launch is about to happen right now, so it is too late in the game to be changing things. He was frustrated and upset that the other people in the organization wouldn’t change things for him.
I asked him what his responsibility was in this situation? This is always a tough question to ask, but it is the type of question that creates a great deal of insight for the person. He took a few minutes to think about his answers. He remembered our previous conversation where he felt overwhelmed and needed a way to prioritize his time better. He could see that he has not taken the time to slow down and how that played a role in this situation. He had been so busy during these original discussions that he didn’t take the time to think about all of the potential impacts. We talked about the importance of leading with intention each day and how it can impact you when you don’t take the time.
Intentional leaders spend at least half of their time focused on thinking, planning, and strategy.
There will always be a million things to do each day, but it is important to take the time to focus on the right things. Leaders who are strong at execution will resist the implementation of this new habit because it feels like they aren’t doing enough. When you are the one who is used to completing tasks each day, it can be a challenge to stop doing it. Trust that this transition is necessary for you to see long-term success. Everyone can be so much more productive when the leader takes the time to focus with intention each day so the team can do the same.