You need to be honest about your time, leader July 17, 2022 by Belinda EganIf you’ve said any form of, “I don’t have time for that” recently, chances are you hurt your own reputation as a leader at that moment. It might seem like an innocuous statement – serving the purpose of letting people know that you’re managing your time effectively. … Not so much. When you say, “I don’t have time for that”, it’s likely being understood in one of two ways: “You should feel foolish for bringing something to me that I shouldn’t have to deal with” OR “I haven’t managed my time well enough to have the capacity to take on what’s being asked of me.” Neither of these looks great on you as a leader. The former is an indirect statement with a bit of a bite to it, and the latter makes you come across as having poor time management. Of course there are going to be things you don’t have time for. You’re expected to keep your productivity pipeline free of distractions and tasks that don’t help fulfill your goals. But most people who will approach you with requests won’t know specifically what your goals are when they ask, so it’s up to you to distinguish between what’s important and what’s not – and to be kind and direct about it. So how do you tell someone coming to you with a request or a task that you can’t take it on? Try this instead: Instead of saying, “I don’t have time”, replace it with “That’s not a priority for me right now.” This is a direct statement that doesn’t place blame or have a bite to it. It shows that you’re aware of your priorities and are managing your time well. And best of all, no one can reply to it with, “Well when will you have time for this?” Say what you mean, mean what you say Being a Courageous Leader allows you to practice authenticity in your role, in word and action. It frees you of the burden of being what you feel other people expect of you, and lets you lean into what makes you uniquely capable in your role. A great way to practice authenticity as a leader is to be intentional and mindful about how you say things and what they imply to listeners. Authenticity is at play when you say what you mean and you mean what you say: “That’s not a priority for me right now” is intentional, clear, direct, and actionable. Authenticity shows when your words and your actions align. If you’re choosing not to make the request in front of you a priority, it should be very clear to your team what is your priority, based on your actions and your leadership. When you say “no” to something, it should be obvious what you’re instead saying “yes” to, to anyone that’s paying attention. And most importantly, authenticity shines through when you’re a living example of your greatest values and priorities – and as a leader, mindful action and taking responsibility for what matters should be at the top of that list. If you show your team that they can take you at face value and trust your words to align with your actions, they will be more likely to model those same behaviors at work. Your intentional speech and clear actions allow your teams and colleagues to do their best work Delegation and effective time management are two of the biggest tools in your workshop as a leader, and when you shift from saying “I don’t have time for that” to “That’s not a priority right now”, you can quickly and effectively utilize both to help the person requesting your attention get what they need. Because “That’s not a priority for me right now” shifts the burden of action back on the person asking, be sure to follow up with either task delegation, or an alternative timeline for dealing with the request. This will make the person asking feel affirmed for coming to you despite the outcome, and also provide them with some next steps to get their needs met. While “I don’t have time for that” is basically shooting down the request, “That’s not a priority for me right now, but…” allows for you to explore possibilities with the person asking. It’s kind, direct, honest and intentional, and lets your team member or colleague work on coming to another solution without feeling discouraged. It’s important for you to manage your time, and it’s equally important for you to treat people with kindness and respect, and you can use the tools of Courageous Leadership to do both effectively. Your teams are watching you to find out how you invest your time It should be obvious, but you’re bound to forget sometimes, so here’s your reminder: as a leader, you’re being watched. If you’re being intentional about what you focus on and how you spend your time, you will naturally come across as calm, balanced, and not fretful. When you switch from saying, “I don’t have time for that” to “That’s not a priority for me right now”, you’re signaling to those around you that you intend to focus on what matters. If you then waste your time with useless office politics or running out the clock till it’s time to go home, you’re jeopardizing your intentionality – and you can be sure that people are observing you doing it. When you step up your mindful communication and make it clear that you’re focused on what matters, your actions matter even more. So be aware that making this powerful shift in language has to be followed by a powerful shift in action, or it’s doing nothing good for you. Mindful, intentional, focused, and clear – that’s what a Courageous Leader exemplifies. Here’s to a Leadership Revolution, Belinda Egan