6 Ways to Create More Leadership Margin — and 7 Signs You Blew Yours

Some wise saying suggests that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I have heard this applied in many different ways, but hardly ever including margin. For most of us, planning centers around stuff to do. And our calendars are more packed than ever. “I’m busy” is a statement of honor in our society. But that paradigm has to die; it’s unproductive and unhealthy. You need leadership margin.

A few years ago, I worked with a client at a global organization that was known to be fast-paced. He had a demanding workload and responsibilities and expressed that he felt every day as if he had hardly accomplished anything. “There’s so much to do, and so little time!” he said to me. “The truth is, no matter how busy I am with high-priority items, there is always something else that needs my attention. This is just how it has been since I started working in my new role.”

I asked him if he was able to delegate some of his duties. He replied, “That’s the problem! The time I would spend delegating to get the job done right would be the amount of time to get it done already.” And so he continued to feel overwhelmed and frustrated with a life of ‘…