SHORTS | Step Off the Busyness ‘Hamster Wheel’ with Darren Cassidy

I think it's one of the biggest, perhaps catch 22 questions for leaders and managers. It's one I get asked so much in, in my work and it's along the lines of. And I, I know there'll be people listening to this podcast episode thinking this right now, where they're sitting there going, great, Darren, that sounds wonderful, but how do I find the time to do all that, to zoom out, to pause and think about plan B, C and D and as well as A, when there's just so much work to be done and I've still got to hit my target, which I get. I don't want to sort of belittle that, that challenge because it is hard, isn't it? Like breaking that busyness chain and been able to step off the hamster wheel so we can pause to reflect and make some changes that are going to buy us back. Time is really hard to do. Like if you got any tips or advice that you've gained over the years where you've been able to create that time and space so you can adopt the approach you've just, just described. I mean, that's one of the biggest shifts, right, for people stepping into more senior leadership roles. Yeah.

My glib answer is, you haven't got time not to do it. I mean, she's true, but it's not overly helpful.

Right.

As someone who's talked to me, I go back probably 25 years. There's a guy called John Hopwood that was one of my managers and became one of my mentors in the business. He retired from our business now, but I still find myself thinking about hearing his words often. And he was the one that spent time with me, used to do it on a Monday morning at 7:30, which I thought he was picking on me for the first first months, but actually was invested in me. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time and he was the one that really dragged me to say, listen, son, that you said, listen, son, if you keep doing it the way you're doing it, in the end, all your energy and drive and it's in the business, in the business, in the business doing what you're doing, you've now got a team of people that won't be able to respond and come with you. And the power of taking a little bit extra time to bring along 10, 12 people will run past you very quickly. So you really can't afford not to do it. Because once you get into a leadership role, it's not about your performance as an individual. Your role is about how you get 10, 12, 20, 80, 100, 1,000 people actually performing. And it is impossible if you don't get that balance right. Goes back to on the business, in the business. You have to see it as part of your day job. In fact, you have to see it as a big part of your day job and therefore you're going to have to change your management structure, your diary approach, your time to go. Is it easy? No, it's not. I hear you and I see that. Is it critical? And that step between individual contributor, manager and leader, is it critical? Absolutely. Yes. And there comes a point where you just have to decide. You just have to decide and say I'm going to stop thinking about it, I'm going to stop doing it. I am going to change my diary and I am going to do it. Make some appointments three weeks out and put a two hour session in your diary with nothing in it other than plan. Because we fill our diary all the time with stuff. What's more important to fill your diary with than that? If you actually believe that that is valuable to your performance. So I think it's a great question and it's real. It's not easy, but actually it's a go do it, go do it, go prioritize it. And once you do, you don't go back. You don't go back.

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