The real reality to most leaders today is simply being alway on, always in the office, always responsible.
It leads to burnout, frustration, or even to the fact that leaders are hesitant to take decisions because something could go wrong.
The inbox is as awake as you are all the tie, your team is asking for input non-stop, demands that keep piling up. Literally on your to do list, which seemingly just can’t get any smaller.
But the question you have to ask yourself is whether this constant activity actually has any impact?
Do things really need to be always, always on?
Traditional workload management fails
Ever been told that you just need to implement a new workload technique and you’ll be on top of things? Others can manage it too, so why could you not?
Think of Pomodoro or Eisenhower ..
Color your agenda items in different colours, work on these emails first, others last, keep a manual list, keep it in your head, have an assistant.
And then there’s always a subtle message (well, sometimes truly less subtle) about how if you are not on top of things, then maybe it’s because you aren’t efficient enough. You are not hard working enough. You don’t have the right techniques.
Or worst of all, if you yourself fall for the belief that maybe you’re simply incompetent .. or for the least appearing to be.
But so if these tools, techniques, systems won’t really get you on top of things, what will? If anything.
But that’s where many people fall into a trap. You’re already about to be buried in work, tasks, demands. Would you even have the mental capacity to truly make a lasting change, implement a system regularly so that things start feeling easier?
The thing about the mind
I’ve spent 20 years in big corporations. And most of the times there was hardly any work life balance, there wasn’t any support. Only people working hard until they couldn’t take it any longer.
Was there a support system in place? Or maybe a remedy? Don’t even get me started on the yearly health week. Because while well intentioned, what can it truly achieve? Can one hour of a paid yoga class make the difference for you? It may spark an interest in you to pursue it, but it won’t change the way you manage your workload.
In my last roles I would sometimes literally look around the office and wonder why nobody was out to help staff or management. Why nothing was done to keep people healthy.
But maybe it’s simply due to the fact that the topic of workload in any corporation, while a hot topic, doesn’t get solved.
The key for my own wellbeing and especially better relation to my workload were mainly two things:
- I learned and accepted that ‘work never ends’. You can never really be done with work. When you think you’re done, there will be new work. Forget about getting your inbox to zero or to work down your task list. It’s never-ending. This recognition isn’t anything negative, on the contrary. Once you see this, you can let go of that internalised pressure and finally work with a sense of agency. Also, was your goal to have an impact or to get your inbox to zero?
- The mind can play tricks on you. Whether you believe and give in to your thoughts or see them as floating, momentary things that pop up in your mind, can make a huge difference. That meeting you’ve dreaded for so long and which you told yourself can only go wrong? It went well. That deadline you thought might have the power to end your career .. it came and went. Nothing changed. All of this only because of thoughts you had about what could potentially happen if this and that.
But companies won’t teach you about the mind. Well, they might suggest meditation. But meditation can quickly become yet another task on your list but not give you any sense of relief.
Ever read or heard that your thoughts are like clouds passing by on a clear sky?
It’s a metaphor that I used to hear back when I still meditated a lot. But I never could make much sense of it. I listened to this and tried to observe my thoughts and not judge them.
It wasn’t until recently that this sentence finally starting making sense to me.
Because what I read was “what if your thoughts aren’t telling you the truth?”
What? That stopped me in my tracks and suddenly the metaphor for clouds moving in the sky to be your thoughts looked a whole lot different to me.
Why did this sentence matter to me? Without looking at it from a specific scientific background, thoughts seem to arise whenever they do. It’s not about having an idea to think, you simply think .. the thought is there.
Conscious Leadership
This profound understanding of your mind, and your relationship to your thoughts and the illusion of constant control, is the bedrock of Conscious Leadership. It’s about shifting how you operate from a deeper, more grounded place.
Conscious Leadership helps you:
- Move from Reaction to Response: When demands pile up, the ‘always on’ leader reacts. The Conscious Leader pauses. They observe the internal pressure and the external demand without judgment. From this presence, an aligned, impactful response spontaneously arises, rather than a frantic reaction.
- Discern Impact from Activity: By cutting through the mental clutter, you gain the clarity to see beyond the urgent to the truly important. You prioritise what truly moves the needle for your organisation and your career, freeing up immense capacity previously wasted on busywork.
- Embrace the Flow Beyond Control: When you recognise that true control over outcomes is often an illusion, you can let go of the desperate grip. This liberation allows you to delegate effectively, trust your team, and operate with an effortless mastery that actually amplifies your impact. It’s about succumbing to the reality that you’re not in control of everything, and in that surrender, finding true agency.
- Cultivate Inner Stillness: You learn to access that quiet, vast space within you, that clear sky where thoughts (clouds) simply pass. This inner stillness becomes your anchor, allowing you to remain grounded and clear even when the external world feels most chaotic. Your internal state then ripples outwards, fostering a more calm, focused, and resilient team.
Transform Your Workload, Transform Your Leadership
The ‘always on’ culture doesn’t have to define your leadership or your well-being. With Conscious Leadership, you move beyond the endless chase for control and efficiency hacks. You discover a profound capacity to lead with deep impact, strategic clarity, and sustainable ease.
If you’re curious, get in touch and see how Conscious Leadership coaching can help you access that inner stillness and lead with effortless impact.
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