The Time + Energy Interplay: Elevating Your Leadership Impact
As leaders, we often find ourselves stuck in a paradox: the very competence that earned us our leadership position can keep us tethered to tactical work. You were promoted because you excelled at getting all-the-things done, but now your organization needs something different from you – strategic vision, big-picture thinking, and authentic executive presence.
Yet here you are, still drowning in emails, caught in back-to-back meetings, and solving problems your team should be handling. Sound familiar?
The shift from manager to executive isn't just about title or compensation – it's about fundamentally reimagining your relationship with both your time and your energy.
High-Performance Leadership Requires Full Batteries, Not Just Free Hours
Many leaders come to me thinking their problem is time management. "If I could just be more efficient or get more time!" they lament. But when we dig deeper, we discover that even with perfect calendaring techniques, they still feel exhausted and uninspired.
Why? Because managing time without managing energy is like having a sports car with an empty tank. The capability is there, but the fuel isn't.
True executive presence emerges when you're operating from your highest energy state – curious, creative, and confident. This is impossible when you're depleted from fighting tactical fires all day.
The Time + Energy Matrix
Instead of just managing your calendar, I invite you to map your activities on the Time + Energy Matrix:
Right click and “Save image as…” to begin examining where you are spending your Time + Energy.
High Time/Low Energy: Activities that consume hours, but leave you drained (most operational meetings, excessive email)
Low Time/Low Energy: Quick tasks that nonetheless deplete you (putting out fires, difficult interactions without preparation)
Low Time/High Energy: Quick activities that energize you (coaching moments, recognition, creative thinking)
High Time/High Energy: Immersive experiences that fuel your leadership (deep strategic work, team development, valuable stakeholder relationships)
When new leaders truly examine how they spend their days, we often discover 80% or more of their time is spent in the low-energy quadrants. No wonder executive presence feels elusive!
From Manager to Executive: The Energy Shift
The leaders who successfully make this transition don't just delegate tasks – they fundamentally restructure their relationship with work by shifting from catabolic (draining) to anabolic (constructive) energy. In Energy Leadership terms, they move from reactive and stress-based energy that depletes them to responsive and creative energy that expands their impact. These leaders:
Photo by Akram Huseyn on Unsplash
Create sacred space for strategic thinking. This isn't just about blocking calendar time; it's about knowing and preserving your highest-energy hours for your most important thinking and interactions. Daniel Pink’s book WHEN is a helpful read (or listen) to get an idea of your own unique circadian rhythm and here’s a great tool to get a more granular sense of your most productive times throughout your day.
Build energy-management rituals. Whether it's a morning routine like a gratitude journal that centers you or transition practices like Square Breathing between meetings, these small habits preserve your leadership energy.
Reframe what "help" means. Your team doesn't need you helping and solving every problem – they need your support in listening actively, asking the right questions, and removing obstacles. Begin asking your team (and colleagues) how they want you to support them before starting a conversation. It may surprise you that they don’t “need your help” – they probably want a safe space to process and trust ear to offer observations, not solutions. Notice how that frees up your energy!
Identify and eliminate energy drains. Some meetings, interaction, and tasks consistently deplete you. These are your first candidates for delegation or elimination. And, you’ll find you cannot eliminate all the energy drains, so build in space before and after those interactions to refuel. Many leaders find movement like a solo walk does the trick!
Time Might Not Be Your Most Precious Asset
The most effective leaders are not necessarily those with the most time – they're those who are intentional with their energy in the moments that matter most. They've learned that executive presence isn't something you "do" – it emerges naturally when you create the conditions for your highest-level energy and mindful discernment.
Remember, your team doesn't always need more of your time. They need more of your wisdom, curiosity, and - only sometimes - your clear direction. And those qualities flow abundantly when you master not just your calendar, but your energy.
Step out of the weeds. The view from above is not only more impactful and it's infinitely more satisfying.
Want to learn more about how energy is constantly shaping your life and work experiences? Explore Expand Your Awareness: What You Probably Don't Know About Your Energy to discover how shifting from catabolic to anabolic energy can transform your leadership impact.