Time

Time…why do you think that I am writing about time as a leadership topic this week? Time is precious for all of us. No matter what we do, or how efficient we are, we never get more time. As a result of this mere fact, we should strive to make sure that we are spending our time wisely.

In my humble opinion, one of the best things a leader can give to people is their time. Time is important for employees to get a better understanding of the vision of the company, get more clarity of expectations and assignments and most importantly, for professional growth.

As leaders, we often get so busy that our time is limited. What are we missing when we do not get time to spend with our colleagues? We may miss a great idea that someone has that will bring the department to the next level. We could miss an employee talking about interest in a position they are hoping to grow into. We may miss an opportunity to be a leader or a mentor. We could fail to connect with people at a level we need to help them develop beyond their expectations.

After all, isn’t a leader’s job to help encourage and develop their teams? How is that going to work if you are failing to give them the most precious gift you can, that is your time?

I challenge every leader who reads this article to take a good inward look and answer this question honestly: Am I giving my employees and colleagues the time that they need?

Please add thoughts, comments or relevant stories to help make this a productive virtual discussion. Thank you for reading.