We called him “Busy Timmy” growing up. Our second son always had something to do, catching frogs, batting practice, playing his guitar, reading books.
Many executives are the same. They bounce from meeting to meeting, one-on-one sessions with subordinates, check-ins with higher-ups, lunches with key stakeholders, speaking engagements, confidential calls scheduled weeks in advance, cell-phone calls from the sidelines of a daughter’s lacrosse game. I know. I regularly dictated memos to my assistant from my car on the way to work at 6:30 a.m. and finished calls with business associates at 9 p.m. in front of my garage door.
If you are busy, it’s because what you do is important, right? Or, is it that you are important? And, I suggest you ask, is this “busy-ness” really effective?
In between bites of a hotdog at a ball game I asked my friend, Ed, a 50-year-old, rising executive at a large health system, what he thought was the single most important leadership trait. He answered immediately, “Life/work balance”. I was skeptical, having heard that bromide often. So, I pressed him.
“Well,” he offered, “If you spend more time with your wife and family and pursue personal interests, it forces you to keep it simple at work. You can’t over-process matters and you make crisp decisions. I can’t tell you how many people I observe who are busy from early to the end of the day and accomplish little. Keeping it simple also sends a positive message to your staff about the importance of life/work balance and being efficient. And, it keeps you healthy.”
I would add to this wise counsel that planning un-busy time at work gives you time to think and plan. And, time to listen and keep in touch with your organization, if your door is open to others and you walk the floors.