The Busy Leader’s Dilemma

“My days are filled with back-to-back meetings; my inbox is a mile deep, and I am always behind,” Adrian, a senior director at a Fortune 100 company, told me during one of our sessions. He was constantly firefighting, trapped in a cycle of reactivity.

Despite the appearance of productivity, Adrian felt stagnant. On top of it, his manager asked him to be more “strategic.” To Adrian, that felt like being asked to do more when he was already at capacity.

If you are reading this, chances are you’ve had similar moments. You want to be a strategic leader, but you feel like there’s no time to think. The solution might be surprisingly and counterintuitively simple: pauses.

Why Pausing Feels Radical

In a culture that glorifies hustle and celebrates packed calendars, pausing can feel like slacking off. We reward motion, not stillness. But in my work as an executive coach, I’ve seen time and again that the real breakthroughs—the kind that elevate leaders, teams, and organizations—don’t happen in the noise.

They happen in the pause.
In the white space.
In the moment when you stop reacting and start reflecting.

What Makes a Leader, Really?

In his powerful essay “Solitude and Leadership,” William Deresiewicz, author of the acclaimed book “Excellent Sheep,” challenges the assumption that leadership is about credentials, charisma, or constant motion. He writes, “True leadership means being able to think for yourself and act on your convictions.”

According to Deresiewicz, solitude—not multitasking or endless collaboration—is the soil where independent thinking and moral courage grow. Solitude isn’t just physical isolation. It’s also:

• Deep reading
  
• Focused, uninterrupted work
  
• Genuine one-on-one conversations
  
• Reflection and self-inquiry
  

These moments of pause help leaders step back from the chaos and ask:

• Am I doing the right thing?
  
• What do I believe in?
  
• What really matters?
  

Without such reflection, Deresiewicz warns, leaders risk becoming “excellent sheep”—technically competent but visionless. They keep the machine running, but rarely ask if it should continue running at all.

The Roots of Pause: Ancient Wisdom

The idea of pausing is not new. Throughout history, spiritual leaders and philosophers have sought solitude to find clarity and strength.

• Prophet Muhammad received revelations in the solitude of the cave of Hira.
  
• Jesus withdrew into the wilderness to pray.
  
• Buddha found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
  

Their examples remind us that solitude isn’t escape—it’s preparation. It’s the reset that allows us to return to the world stronger, wiser, and more grounded.

What Happens When Leaders Pause

One of my clients, an engineering leader, began a simple reflection practice during his commute. At first, he was skeptical. But within weeks, he shared a breakthrough: he found a creative solution to a complex problem that had stumped his team for months.

The insight inspired him to eliminate several low-value tasks from his day. The result? More time and energy for strategic thinking—and a measurable improvement in his team’s performance.

Even Bill Gates has said that one of the most valuable lessons he learned from Warren Buffett was not to fill every minute of the day. Strategic whitespace isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Attention: A Scarce Leadership Resource

In one of my earlier articles, Want to Take Your Career to the Next Level? Manage Your Attention Wisely, I shared that our most scarce resource isn’t time—it’s attention.

When we overload our attention with tasks, alerts, and meetings, we burn out the very part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) responsible for deep thinking, empathy, and decision-making.

Neuroscientist David Rock, in Your Brain at Work, explains that constant busyness keeps our limbic system in overdrive, leading to reactive thinking and short-term fixes. Pausing interrupts that loop. It gives your brain the space it needs to evaluate, create, and make informed choices.

Real-Life Examples of White Space in Action

Carol, a vice president at a communications company, was looking to boost her leadership presence. Her schedule was overwhelming, even on those days she traveled, so I suggested a simple experiment: keep the travel days meeting-free. Even though she was unsure, she agreed to try it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for her to reschedule meetings on her upcoming travel days. That single adjustment brought her calm, clarity, and the ability to think strategically rather than just react.

Another client, Conor, a VP, incorporated short breathing pauses into his daily routine. Within weeks, he reported feeling more grounded and found it easier to delegate effectively. He told me:

“Pausing gave me the space to see what matters most.”

As I wrote in Be Like a Lion: Enhance Leadership Through Pauses and White Spaces, leaders who behave like lions—deliberate, observant, and purposeful—far outperform those who react impulsively like a chipmunk, reacting to every stimulus.

A Harvard Business Review article summed it up perfectly:

“The habit of reflection can separate extraordinary professionals from mediocre ones.”

Reflection isn’t a luxury; it’s a core leadership skill.

Start Small: The Microdosing of Pauses

The good news? You don’t need a meditation retreat or a sabbatical to benefit from pausing.

Here’s a simple exercise you can try today:

• Sit comfortably.
• Take a deep, slow breath into your belly.
• Inhale through your nose, hold for a second, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
• Notice your shoulders drop.
• Repeat for 3–5 breaths.
  

This one-minute microbreak is often enough to clear mental fog and bring you back to presence.

“But I’m Not a Leader—and I Don’t Even Have a Job”

You might be thinking, “This is great advice for executives, but I’m not a leader—and right now, I don’t even have a job.”

I hear you. I have those moments too, even as an entrepreneur. Instead of focusing on what you’re not, let’s think about who you are:
A spouse, partner, parent, breadwinner, job seeker, entrepreneur, student—the list goes on.

As long as you are living life, you are leading something. You make decisions every day. Some are easy, most are hard. You solve problems, you juggle priorities for your time, energy, and budget. That is strategic thinking in action—whether or not you have a formal title.

So let me ask you:

• When was the last time you truly took a breather?
• When was the last time you sat quietly to savor your morning coffee—without reaching for your phone?
• Or hugged someone you love without already thinking about your next chore, email, or worry?

Those simple pauses are where clarity lives. And you deserve them just as much as any CEO..

Solitude as a Strategic Advantage

Solitude is not self-indulgence—it’s a strategic act. It strengthens clarity, creativity, and courage.

As Deresiewicz reminds us, “The position of the leader is ultimately an intensely solitary one.” You can gather input from others, but the hardest decisions—the ones that shape organizations—require you to listen to your own inner compass.

So carve out moments of solitude. Protect your attention. Embrace the pause.
Because that’s where real leadership begins.

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