Read time: 5 minutes
Individuals new to leadership roles are often left to their own devices when it comes to figuring out the “how to be” piece of leadership. As anyone would, they lean into their comfort zones when under stress and resort to doing what they know – not necessarily what is best. One of the key components to being an effective leader is being able to manage your time to address all of your priorities, while maintaining a work/life balance that works for you in a manner that is sustainable.
The problem with time management with new leaders often stems from trying to approach how they manage or spend their time as a leader, the way they did as a “do-er”, which almost always leads to wasting a lot of time doing things that no longer apply to their new role.
As a leader, it’s important to realize that your priorities shift. And to thrive in your new role as a leader, you will have to also shift the way you spend your time – right out of the gate.
Why is this a problem?
Because leadership burnout is no joke. The stats are alarming, as stated in PositiveGroup.org’s article.
We often dismiss busyness (or even pride ourselves on it), attributing it to just a normal part of life – especially when leading. Though the thing about burnout is if you aren’t pro-active in managing your time and life, your body and mind’s health will eventually hit a wall and force you to re-evaluate your current lifestyle.
If supporting your health isn’t convincing enough for you, then perhaps the fact that burnout affects your overall productivity (and reputation as a leader) would do the trick?
Why aren’t more people attentive to how they spend their time?
New leaders in particular struggle with this. The learning curve is steep. They are now not only responsible for their own work, but for the work of others, therefore the stakes are higher – and so is the stress level. With their heads down, they, at best, survive the adjustment period. More learning or professional growth is often likely the last thing on their minds.
I often get "Oh, I would love to get coaching, but I don't have time right now." I get it, but that statement makes as much sense as saying “I’ll get my butt to the gym once I get more fit.”
Putting off re-evaluating “how” you work is completely understandable if the following statements apply:
You are in the weeds of the first 3 months in their new role;
You feel completely content with your work/life balance;
Your team is running efficiently and producing the required quality/quantity of work;
Your team has no complaints about their work/life balance.
However, if you are NOT able to check all these boxes, then you are or will most likely get comfortable by adapting and settling into some inefficient habits, such as working longer hours (#1 most common go-to strategy of struggling leaders I work with), but then the problem becomes:
“My team is fine - I don’t need coaching or development.”
Right. Let's go check in with your team members and see how they really feel about that statement.
So, how can you shift from managing your time as a “do-er” to a leader?
It really comes down to being more intentional and purposeful with your time – your most precious resource. This means aligning all your daily activities with your priorities. As a leader, you should structure your schedule to contain items that will only help move the needle on priorities. When at home, it would mean reducing activities that serve only to “kill” time and replacing them with those that bring you joy and fill your buckets so that you then have the energy to show up as your best self.
Things to try at work:
Get clear on your priorities.
Acknowledge that your team members are also human and have limited time to work on things. Determine no more than 2-3 priorities to be your team’s radar over the next quarter. Though before setting these in stone, contact various stakeholders and/or departments to ensure they also can support your priorities during each quarter. Timing is super important. Set yourself (and your team) up for success. There is no point in setting goals if you won’t have the resources to achieve them.
Identify who will be in charge of what. This will make it much easier to keep your team members accountable. Determine what success would look like for each task.
Create project timelines and figure out very specifically what needs to get done/by when. Involve your team in this journey. Sure, you might have experience and be able to do it faster, but as a leader, part of your job is ensuring your team members’ growth. With time, it will also increase your team’s workload capacity.
Once your project timelines are set, add them to your calendars – along with specific deliverables.
Fill in with regular 1-to-1 check-ins with each of your team members to ensure progress is made. These not only give you the opportunity to chat and get to know each of your direct reports better, but they also open the door to safe conversations for each of them. *Ensure these 1-to-1's aren’t simply about project progress. Check in with your team. Are they getting what they need from you to succeed? How are they doing in general? These touchpoints will help avoid unpleasant surprises when projects come due.
Adjust as needed.
Things to try at home:
Are you going through life on autopilot? Or are you intentional about what deserves your time and attention over the course of the day? Are you feeling stuck or stalled?
Are you numbing the weight of the day with unproductive or harmful habits that drain your energy and stamina?
As you would at work, decide what your priorities are. Once you gain clarity on these, it makes it so much easier to then decide how you should spend your time.
Perform a schedule audit. What are you spending your time off on? What habits could be eliminated to make space for better ones?
Begin replacing the time some of the bad habits that don’t “fit” your priorities. For example, do you lose yourself in the false reality of tv shows for endless hours? Nothing wrong with that AS LONG AS it doesn’t interfere with your ability to move your life forward in a meaningful way. Ask yourself what’s missing from your life? What do you wish you had more of? Incorporate more of those things.
One of the key components to avoiding burnout is having a sense of control over your work and life. By spending time figuring out what your priorities are, you are then better able to actively manage your life, giving you a better sense of control.
If this is something that you are interested in delving a little deeper into, I have created a simple step-by-step course “The New Leader’s Survival Guide: Time Management” (link below) to not only help you get to the core of what’s profoundly important to you, but also how to structure your schedule so that your priorities and responsibilities are addressed in a way that is sustainable and that will allow you to thrive as an individual and as a leader.
Whenever you are ready, there are 2 other ways I can help you:
1. If you are still looking to further improve your leadership skills, let me recommend starting with an affordable course:
→ The New Leader’s Survival Guide: Time Management
→ Stand Out From The Rest: Communicate Like An Effective Leader
2. If you are looking for a more customized leadership development experience, leadership coaching may be the better option to get you to your professional development goals faster. Book a complimentary “Discovery Call” to discuss your goals and see if working with a leadership coach might be the way to go.