The final blog in our three-part series looking at what leaders put off, often to their detriment, looks at something that sounds almost ironic for senior leaders: thinking time.
In the first blog, we looked at the 10-minute conversation leaders keep putting off. In the second, we explored why saying “I don’t know” can feel uncomfortable but builds trust. In both cases, the pattern was the same; avoiding something doesn’t mean it has no impact.
What leaders repeatedly avoid will always shape the culture around them.
And one thing that repeatedly comes up in coaching sessions is leaders failing to create and prioritise space to think. They know how important it is to step back from the day-to-day and think strategically about where the business is heading, and yet it’s one of the first things to disappear from their calendars.
Sound familiar?
There might be some reflective time whilst moving between meetings, scanning emails, or even during the dash outside for lunch, but when was the last time you made space for real thinking time; quiet, uninterrupted space that allows you to step back, connect ideas, and look ahead rather than simply reacting to what’s immediately in front of you.
Thinking time can feel unproductive, indulgent, or even slightly selfish. When people need answers and teams need support, a leader’s diary can be packed from morning to evening. Leaders become ‘accidental passengers’ in their own calendars; meetings are added, priorities shift, and gradually the diary begins to manage them rather than the other way around. Without deliberate protection, thinking time is the first thing to disappear. It feels easier and far more acceptable to stay busy than to block out time that appears, from the outside, like you’re doing nothing.
But there is a cost to this pattern. Opportunities are missed because there isn’t time to explore them, and strategy becomes something that happens occasionally in workshops rather than something that is actively shaped week by week. The real step change in performance rarely comes from simply doing more, it instead comes from quality thinking, and having strategic reflection time which identifies opportunities, anticipates challenges, and helps the organisation move forward with clarity.
If you look at the reality of most leadership roles, a large part of what leaders are being paid to do is think well and make sound decisions. When thinking time disappears, leadership becomes more reactive and decisions can be made quickly rather than thoughtfully. In short, leaders find themselves responding to problems rather than shaping the path ahead.
As we’ve addressed previously in this blog series, how a leader behaves – including what they avoid – shapes company culture. Teams notice what leaders prioritise, so if that person is always busy and in back-to-back meetings, the message to staff is to do more rather than to think better. Strategic thinking and reflection become optional rather than essential. If this sounds familiar, ask yourselves these questions as a starting point:
- If your diary reflects your values, what does it currently say you value?
- Who is managing your calendar, you or everyone else?
- Where could you create pockets of space for quality thinking without needing a complete overhaul of your schedule?
- What changes might happen within your organisation if thinking time was treated as a meeting?
Protecting thinking time isn’t self-indulgent, it’s a core leadership responsibility that should become easier the more consistently it’s practised. By protecting this time, it allows for better decision making, leading more strategically, and modelling to teams that thoughtful leadership matters just as much as visible activity.