The High Cost of Being Busy

:Many business owners started their activities in a mode of quick decisions, full personal involvement, and presence in every process. This model works successfully on an initial scale when the owner has enough time and resources to deal with each problem independently. However, the rules of business may seem paradoxical at first glance, because when the business is moving to the next level, the manager is taking on a new role that involves a change in responsibilities. This is the moment when being overly busy does not mean feeling important and bringing the company remarkable results, and it indicates that you need to become the architect of the system and give up the position of a specialist who performs current tasks and has a calendar filled with small tasks. 

There are several main reasons why managers fall into the operational trap. The first is the ‘equals’ sign between success and workload. You feel that you will lose your sense of importance if you do not control everything. As a result, you are not engaged in the development of global business goals, and constant stress and the inability to delegate minor tasks only lead to exhaustion. This leads to the next mistake – a fear of delegation, which seems to minimise risk in the short term but creates strategic risk in the long term. Your business needs a development system, but instead of creating one, you are absorbed in micromanagement. 

As a qualified ILM Level 7 Executive Coach (the UK professional qualification from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) and City & Guilds designed for senior leaders, focusing on strategic leadership, executive coaching/mentoring and establishing coaching on an organisational level), I often notice how mistakes made during the formation of a company's management and operating system become the third reason for falling into an operational trap. Your operational overload may not be your choice or whim, but a consequence of informal processes, blurred roles, and a strategy that does not take KPIs into account. The manager becomes the centre of decision-making, without which all processes will stop. At this level, deeper work on separating the self-identification of an expert and a strategist will help you. Senior executive coaching is a tool for building a new managerial identity that does not depend on constant operational presence. It is at this turning point that I help to focus not on the symptom, but on the cause, which is usually complex and combines the factors described above.

After learning about the causes of the operational trap, it may seem that the algorithm for getting out of it is obvious. Just work less! However, I must note that the process is longer and more complex and involves a system of actions aimed at changing your role, vector, decision-making structure, and way of thinking, which a coach can help you with. Your responsibility is to take the first step and act. The best thing to start with is to change your perception of what you are responsible for at the business architecture level, rather than your daily tasks. 

It is extremely important to divide the decisions you are involved in making into categories. The first category is macro-leadership, which includes decisions that truly belong at the strategic level. The second is tasks in which you express your expert opinion and agree on the method of implementation, but do not carry them out yourself. And the last category is everything that does not require your expertise or influence. The percentage of your presence in each category is an indicator of your effectiveness as a leader and generator of success. If most of your working time is spent in the third category, you are in an operational trap.

The most effective leader devotes himself to macro-leadership. The tasks that should be in your field of vision as a leader are planning a long-term strategy, defining the mission and goals of the organisation, allocating resources to support the business in line with long-term goals, monitoring performance, and making changes to ensure that goals are achieved. Sometimes macro-leadership may require restructuring the company to adapt to market conditions, while remaining consistent with the overall vision, mission, and long-term strategy.

Clients who are stuck in an operational trap and seek advice often see strategic planning as too abstract to single out as a separate task on their calendar. But strategy is not created in between meetings. It is something that takes time and dedication. The list of strategic activities also includes quarterly sessions and dedicated time for market analysis and team development. That is why we work to ensure that these processes are not overshadowed by urgent matters that seem pressing every day.

Getting out of the operational trap is not just about focusing your attention on more important processes. It is about scaling a business that can function without the constant operational presence of the manager. If you feel a critical need to change outdated rules and force yourself and your team to work towards results, an executive and business coach will help you sort out your management beliefs. After all, at such a moment, coaching ceases to be a ‘development option’ and becomes a collaborative partnerships which empowers the company's true evolution and growth.