Great leaders create time to think
Leadership is about looking forward, setting the direction and being one step ahead.
Create your space
Tips for great leaders to create thinking time.
Tip 1
Schedule dedicated "thinking time" on your calendar for reflection and brainstorming
Tip 2
Delegate tasks to empower your team and free up your own time.
Tip 3
Disconnect from technology to minimize distractions during thinking time.
Tip 4
Practice mindfulness and reflection to create mental space for thinking
Tip 5
Prioritize and eliminate non-essential tasks from your to-do list
Tip 6
Carve out thinking rituals like walks or journaling to spark creativity and clarity.
Action Time
Create the time you need to think.
Great leaders create time to think as a habit. Whilst there are always operational details to be interested in, the future requirement will always be changing and you need to be ahead of it.
It is important to create the working environment where, as a leader, you have specific time in your schedule to plan for the future: otherwise it will never happen. The damands of the detail will quickly take over.
Our tips above provide ideas as to how you might do that, and you may have your own. However, the overarching message is to take time away and look at the future. Keep the vision, mission and strategy fresh to keep people enthused.
Some Key Questions To Ask Yourself?
1. Will our current strategy enable us to achieve our vision. in the future (3 – 5 years) and do we need to make changes?
2. Are my team performing above, meeting or behind expectation or am I being complacent?
3. Are my team members too comfortable with the status quo, or do I need to inject some urgency, motivation or drive?
4. Do I have the right size team?
