Want to Be a More Strategic Leader? Cut Out the Noise and Take Time to Reflect

Do you ever feel like you are drowning in all the work you have to get done and all the distractions around you? You jump from meeting to meeting, and from task to task, determined to get through your “to do” list. And as a leader, there is always someone who needs to talk with you, so you manage a series of interruptions throughout the day to get questions answered and attend those spur-of-the-moment meetings.

Any hope of catching your breath to get caught up on your endless email or maybe even do a bit of technical work is dashed because of the daily flurry of activity. So, you turn to the evenings and nights to get those things done. Is this the life of a productive leader? I’ve learned the hard way that it is not.

As a leader in the corporate world for a number of years, I’ve been on this never-ending treadmill after finally realizing this. Leaders are expected to think, strategize, plan, coach, and facilitate the success and growth of their people. When they are distracted by the noise of the over-scheduled, busy day, in addition to the instant messages, email and social media feeds, they can’t do any of those things well, if at all.

So here is an important point for leaders caught in this dilemma to consider – set aside “think time” throughout your day that has zero distractions (there’s a reason why so many people come up with their best ideas in the shower).

“Think time” is often what catapults a productive manager into a strategic leader.

A strategic leader makes time to “think” whether it is in shorter bursts throughout the day or longer stretches of time throughout the week. The key is making the time and putting away the “noise.”

Dr. Martin Luther King is a great example of a leader who recognized the importance of setting aside time to reflect. In his biography, we learn he moved from Montgomery (the city that was ground zero for the Civil Rights movement) to Atlanta to have time to think without constant interruptions and demands on his time (and this was before smart phones).

So how can you eliminate some of the noise in your day and make time and space to think? For me, it is setting aside time in my backyard water garden (pictured in this post) whether it is for 5 minutes or a couple of hours. Whatever your preferred method, doing so will give your mind the space it needs to generate ideas that improve your ability to strategize, plan and coach. And that will accelerate your leadership growth more than any crammed schedule or to-do list will ever accomplish.

If you’d like to learn more about how I help tech leaders be more strategic, you can go to this link to schedule a time to talk: https://lnkd.in/gzsdi7M