We have written often about Leadership Frenzy – that state of constant chaos, information overload, back-to-back meetings, and 24/7 connection that is at the heart of many of the problems and challenges faced by leaders striving for greater effectiveness. While many of us think that the key to greater productivity and effectiveness is time management, we know that the real key is managing your energy instead. This is something we wrote about recently in Forget about managing your time; Manage your energy instead.
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Talk to anyone in any workplace and it never fails that the topic of endless, pointless meetings comes up. It seems that the number of meetings – whether face-to-face, conference call, or video/web-based – is on the rise. One executive I worked with shared her calendar with me to demonstrate the point. She had a week full of meetings, many of which overlapped. “How can you be in two places at one time?” I asked. “Well, I’ll start out in this meeting and then leave early to catch the last half of that meeting,” she answered. Sounds awfully stressful and unproductive to me!
That glowing Check Engine light. The piles of junk mail on your dining room table. The friend who calls you weekly to complain about her life. The colleague who interrupts you, even when your door is closed. The manager who can’t seem to find anything good about what you do. The direct report who incessantly misses deadlines (but always with “good reason.”) What do these things have in common? If any or all of them are a part of your life, they are tolerations – those distracting, annoying occurrences that frustrate you and sap your energy.
I was really, really tired. It was mid-day and I could feel the pressure mounting of everything that had to get done and all there was to cross off my to-do list…but I was really, really tired. I swear it felt as if my head was pulsing and my eyes just wanted to drift close.
In any given week, I get plenty of emails about Time Management – seminars to attend, books to read, articles to click through to, and the hottest new productivity tools to buy. And when I find myself struggling to get through my to-do list or forgetting to do something, I feel guilty about my “poor time management.” No wonder everyone is focused on time management. Seems like there is always more to do, more information to process, more new technology to comprehend, more people to stay in touch with, and more places to be at the same time! Yet, we still have the same 24 hours in a day that we’ve always had. So, what do we do? Sleep less? Not I.
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically—to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.” — Stephen Covey 
I have been thinking a lot about energy… and how it shows up in leaders. It is a vital component.
Hi Karin,
Yes, it is a vital component and one that many leaders overlook. Thanks for the comment!