Are you managing your time or is it managing you?

"Busy is not a metric," a CEO client I deeply admire often told his team when they cited busyness as a barrier to achieving goals. As leaders, how often have we encountered this response, or even used it ourselves? While acknowledging the reality of demanding, time-pressured environments where we're expected to do more with less, leaders must develop greater strategic mastery over their time and priorities, and effectively coach their teams to do the same.

I'm currently coaching several C-suite leaders whose development plans feature "time and priority management." A common thread in the feedback they’ve received indicates they are not as available to their teams as needed, are falling short on commitments, or are not dedicating enough time to coaching and developing their direct reports. These are undeniably crucial leadership responsibilities, yet a deeper dive often reveals that while the intention is present, leaders simply run out of time. So, what can be done?

I find immense satisfaction in coaching leaders on this topic because tangible steps can be taken, yielding concrete results. I frequently recommend a combination of actions to address this challenge, including:

• High-level time and motion study: To gain a clearer understanding of how time is typically spent over a 1-2 week period.

• Eisenhower Box exercise: To distinguish between urgent and important activities on a leader's to-do list.

• Strategic delegation: To thoughtfully assign key tasks and projects in a way that empowers others for success and frees up critical time for leaders to focus on more strategic work.

• Time blocking: To foster greater ownership and proactivity in managing one's schedule.

• Cultivating a better meeting culture: Ensuring meetings have a clear purpose, inviting only essential participants, and maintaining focus and adherence to allotted timeframes.

This is just a sample of the topics we explore in our coaching on this subject. I urge leaders to pause and honestly ask themselves: are you managing your time, or is time managing you? If you consistently struggle to engage with long-term, important strategic projects, find it difficult to truly invest in your team, and feel constantly at the mercy of others' demands, it's imperative to take control of your time. It is within your power. Establish boundaries around meeting invites, break down large projects into smaller, manageable actions, and proactively block time in your calendar to accomplish them.

Effective leaders strategically manage their time and priorities, and they empower their teams to do the same. Contact us to discover how we help our clients develop greater proficiency in this and other critical areas.