“If you believe being overly busy and overextended is evidence of productivity, then you probably believe that creating space to explore, think, and reflect should be kept to a minimum.” So writes Greg McKeown in his excellent book titled Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit Of Less.
Many leaders would not admit it, but their actions speak far louder than words. Their actions and expectations say, “We and you are here to work—not to think, not to explore, not to debate, and for sure, not to play!” In many organizations, these activities are seen as evidence of weakness and wastefulness.
McKeown is clear, definitive, and absolutely correct when he writes about these activities:
“Rather than trivial diversions, they are critical to distinguishing what is actually a trivial diversion from what is truly essential. Essentialists [those leaders truly focused on the vital few] spend as much time as possible exploring, listening, debating, questioning, and thinking. But their exploration is not an end in itself. The purpose of the exploration is to discern the vital few from the trivial many.”
Which kind of leader are you? There is probably not a better return on investment than for you to do the following: Carefully explore, listen, question, and think about whether or not you are most effectively teaching, coaching, and leading your direct reports, your team, and your organization. Teach, coach, and lead them to continuously explore, listen, debate, question, and think about identifying and focusing only on the truly critical—the vital few!
