The time is now. Image credit: Bullo River Station
Time is the one commodity you can’t buy – so use it wisely.Time is one of life’s most precious gifts yet something we often forget to value, and then miss when a moment or opportunity has passed.
Time is a truly non-renewable resource. It doesn’t matter who we are, we only have so much time.
We are all running our own race, choosing our own adventure, with no idea when it will end. Every now and then it can be helpful to get a reminder about the importance of time and how we spend it.
At a recent Red Emu breakfast where we heard from senior leaders across different sectors about their leadership purpose, we posed a question to all guests, “What is one thing you will do differently after leaving this morning?”. There was a common thread throughout the responses, many starting with wording such as
“Make time for…”
“Look to find more time…”
“Find more time…”
“Reflect and take time out regularly to…”
“I will spend more time…”
“Find time to…”
and multiple variations of this sentiment.
Additionally, 85% of guests said they were not clear on their leadership purpose. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that the one thing many leaders said they would do differently is to make more time for contemplation and reflection, which are essential to help them clarify their leadership purpose. The investment of time in considering why we do what we do has a multiplying effect on how we lead – which in turn impacts the quality of the time our teams or employees spend at work.
We cannot get back the time we have lost so far. However, the good news is, we can plan and do more with the time we are so fortunate to have ahead of us. Whether that is making time for something important to us personally, or to work on discovering our leadership purpose, or a combination of the two, it cannot be done without the key ingredients of time and headspace.
Time is a gift that only we can create for ourselves through careful planning and prioritisation. This is the privilege of leadership. This is what employees deserve. And now for the good news - creating and using your time wisely will absolutely be worth it! Yours for healthy leadership, Jodie
