Busy Leader Syndrome | 5 Cures
Have you been told to slow down or that you are too busy? Ever feel so overwhelmed that it is hard to stop and assess the progress of your projects?
The sign of an unhealthy leader is choosing difficulty over efficiency. When you are too busy to make your job easier, you are an unhealthy leader. When you are too defensive to receive improvement feedback or constructive criticism, you are an unhealthy leader.
Thankfully, there are some solutions that might help. You don't have to keep wasting energy. Busyness is the enemy of healthy leadership. A focused less beats an unfocused more any day!
Here are some keys to helping the busy leader slow down and achieve productivity:
1) Learn to say "NO" - Saying "YES" does not mean you are being productive. Be strategic about how you use your time. Make sure what you do contributes to your ultimate goal. Success is available for those who value their time.
2) Organize the "To-do" list - Creating a "to-do" list is only half the battle. Organizing the list by priority is where you win. Randomly accomplishing task only feels good to those who have "Busy Leader Syndrome." Productivity must be joined by priority. This leaves the leader feeling "more" fulfilled.
3) Mandate a day to "rest" - Working "all day every day" is only valuable to leaders who lack concern for their own health. Rest is a mandatory part of healthy leadership. "Rest-less" leadership is not sustainable. Don't create a situation where your health forces you to lose momentum.
4) Address performance insecurities - Many unhealthy leaders work to cover up insecurities and fears. They stay busy as a cover-up for the fact that they are not producing their best work. Every healthy leader has to confront their insecurities before they get too busy to recognize they are being driven by them.
5) Make time for self-care - Have you done anything you enjoy lately? When is the last time you had fun? Had a massage? Went to a social event YOU wanted to attend? Self-care and health leadership are partners on the same playing field. Prioritize self care and you won't regret it.
Great post. From experience, all 5 are things that can become tasks all by themselves. #2 is an issue that I believe most leaders struggle with because the goal is to cross items off your list. However, depending on your scope of responsibility, that list will grow faster than you are able to mark things as "done". And that's not including the items that are never truly done and require continuous oversight on your behalf. I've used an Eisenhower Matrix with some success to help with that dilemma but it's still a constant battle.
ReplyDeleteHow do you personally tackle your "to-do list" ?
I used to be overwhelmed by the "To-Do" list because, as you eloquently stated the list kept going. Before I knew it, all I have was a long list of task that ultimately challenged my motivation and blinded me from productivity. I will say, marking things "done" was a small victory during this time. I will also say that many people have yet to start their "To-do" list so I would encourage them to start there.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I create my list and label the task in order or urgency. I use the letter "L" for later. I use the letter "U" for urgent. Everything labeled "U" becomes my source of inspiration. Eventually my "L's" become "U's" and they rise to the top based on deadlines. The good part about most list is that the list creator can also set deadlines for each task. Setting deadlines is another task and another blog.
However, what are your thoughts?