You cannot lead through complexity if you’re drowning in activity, writes Chris Power.
There’s a saying I’ve found myself sharing in coaching conversations with senior leaders lately – just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
It’s my response to a significant pattern playing out right now across every sector I work in: Constant busy-ness masquerading as leadership. We know from the Microsoft Work Trend Index 2025 that 80 percent of employees and leaders say they lack enough time or energy to do their work. Meetings are ad-hoc and continue after hours. Some 52 percent of leaders say their work feels chaotic and fragmented.
These leaders are facing into the biggest shifts, or inflection points, their businesses have possibly ever experienced and for many, it’s daunting.
Every week brings AI breakthroughs and geopolitical ‘tensions’ explode overnight impacting supply chain and fuel costs. Fear and uncertainty affect spending behaviour, new players entering the market with greater ease.
And while some leaders have been forecasting this, many have been caught off guard. Either way, the response is often the same – get busy.
Busy-ness as a way to regain a sense of control
For many leaders, whether they acknowledge it or not overwhelm sets in. Old patterns and habits kick into gear and what keeps them feeling ‘in control’ and confident about the job they’re doing is to get busy and do.
Who doesn’t love just getting in, working hard and getting stuff done? The sense of achievement is high, your calendar is full, there’s no time to prevaricate. There’s a sense of urgency and action and it’s addictive. It quells the uncertainty, models clarity and signals to the team that it’s all under control.
And this of course is a folly. Control is not the answer and nor is it possible when we’re at critical inflection points in life or in business.
Chris Power
What constant busy-ness is actually costing you
While all the activity may be seen to be helpful, when leaders pick up the slack, they often find themselves compensating for poor performance and lack of accountability in their teams rather than addressing the issues directly.
And while they’re in the weeds, they’re missing what’s about to hit. To borrow Harvard University Professor Ron Heifetz’s metaphor, they’re so engrossed in the dance floor, so immersed in the operations, they forget to get up the balcony for a broader view. They’re constantly on the back foot.
According to PWC’s 27th Global CEO survey (2024) 63 percent of APAC CEOs believe their business won’t be viable in a decade without transformation, yet many leaders remain consumed by short-term operational demands.
When you’re stuck in the doing and scrambling to survive the changes, there’s no time for creative or innovative responses…
And so emerges an opportunity cost. When you’re stuck in the doing and scrambling to survive the changes, there’s no time for creative or innovative responses. Cost cutting is the go-to and while spending freezes, and reduced headcount, might provide momentary relief it’s the opportunity for something bigger that’s missed, not to mention the negative impact on the culture.
Strategic thinking and having an eye on the market, sector trends, emerging tech and demographic shifts all require space. Space to think and bring the right people into the room for exploratory, ‘what if’ conversations.
Space to think broadly and deeply isn’t possible when you and your entire team are locked in back-to-back meetings. Something needs to shift.
Treating the addiction
Busy-ness doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing low value work, it may just not be work that YOU need to be doing.
The first principle of Inflection Leadership is to refocus your role…
It’s for this reason that the first principle of Inflection Leadership is to refocus your role. Refocusing your role creates clarity. It prompts you to ask ‘What are we here to deliver and what is required of me in this role?’ and then assess what you are stepping into that someone else should be owning?
It’s about moving from doing everything to doing what’s really required.
When you get clear on this, the people around you – peers and direct reports – can get clear too. Capability gaps quickly become apparent and can be addressed, accountability for delivery is clear.
Most importantly, you create the space to step out of the day-to-day and back into the work that actually moves the business forward.
The leaders who navigate the inflection points well aren’t the busiest. They’re the ones who know when to step out of the noise, refocus their role and lead with intention.
Recognising these is a cue for you to recalibrate. To dial up the parts of your leadership that this moment demands. To get on the balcony, see the whole system, and make conscious choices about where you spend your time and energy. You cannot lead through complexity if you’re drowning in activity.
Chris Power is a leadership coach, consultant and facilitator who works with senior leaders and executive teams navigating critical inflection points. With over 26 years’ experience, she helps leaders cut through noise, rethink how they lead and align their teams to deliver now and into the future. She is the author of the new whitepaper, Inflection Leadership, available for download at https://www.powerprojects.com.au/white-paper/
