Busyness is killing strategic thinking. Here’s how to prevent that from happening

There’s a saying I’ve found myself sharing in coaching conversations with senior leaders lately. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

It’s my response to a significant pattern playing out right now across every sector I work in, and that’s constant busyness masquerading as leadership. We know from the Microsoft Work Trend Index 2025 that 80% of employees and leaders lack sufficient time or energy to do their work. Meetings are ad hoc and continue after hours. Some 52% of leaders say their work feels chaotic and fragmented.

These leaders are facing the biggest shifts or inflection points their businesses have possibly ever experienced. For many, this is daunting. Every week brings AI breakthroughs. Geopolitical tensions explode overnight, impacting supply chain and fuel costs. Fear and uncertainty affect spending behavior, while new players enter the market with greater ease.  And while some leaders have been forecasting this, many have been caught off guard.  Either way, the response is often the same—get busy.

Busyness as a way to regain a sense of control

Many leaders do this as a reaction to feeling overwhelmed. Old patterns and habits kick into gear, and what keeps them feeling in control and confident about the job they’re doing is to get busy and do.  Who doesn’t love just getting in, working hard, and getting stuff done? The sense of achievement is high, and your calendar is full.  You feel a sense of urgency and action, and it’s addictive.  It quells the uncertainty, models clarity, and signals to the team that it’s all under control.

This, of course, is a folly. Control is not the answer, and it’s not often possible when we’re at critical inflection points in life or in business.

What constant busyness is actually costing you

All of this activity might seem helpful. However, when leaders pick up the slack, they often find themselves compensating for poor performance and lack of accountability in their teams. What they should be doing is addressing the issues directly.

And while they’re in the weeds, they’re missing what’s about to hit. To borrow a metaphor from Ron Heifetz, senior lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, they’re so engrossed in the dance floor, so immersed in the operations, they forget to get up to the balcony for a broader view. They’re constantly on the back foot. According to PWC’s 27th Global CEO survey (2024), 63% of APAC CEOs believe their business won’t be viable in a decade without transformation, yet many leaders remain consumed by short-term operational demands.

And so emerges an opportunity cost. When you’re stuck in the doing and scrambling to survive the changes, there’s no time for creative or innovative responses. Cost cutting is the go-to. And while spending freezes and reduced headcount might provide momentary relief, you’re missing out on a bigger opportunity. Not to mention the negative impact that layoffs can have on your culture.

Strategic thinking and having an eye on the market, sector trends, emerging tech and demographic shifts all require space. Space to think and bring the right people into the room for exploratory, “what if” conversations. This isn’t possible when you and your entire team are locked in back-to-back meetings. Something needs to shift. 

Treating the addiction

Busyness doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doing low-value work; it may just not be work that YOU need to be doing. It’s for this reason that the first principle of Inflection Leadership is to refocus your role, which leads to clarity. It prompts you to ask, “What are we here to deliver and what is required of me in this role?” and then assess what I am stepping into that someone else should be owning. It’s about moving from doing everything to doing what your business really requires.

When you get clear on this, the people around you—peers and direct reports—can get clear too. You can address capability gaps relatively quickly, and accountability for delivery is clear. Most importantly, you create the space to step out of the day-to-day and back into the work that actually moves the business forward.

The leaders who navigate the inflection points well aren’t the busiest. They’re the ones who know when to step out of the noise, refocus their role, and lead with intention. Recognizing these is a cue for you to recalibrate and dial up the parts of your leadership that this moment demands. You need to get on the balcony, see the whole system, and make conscious choices about where you spend your time and energy. Because you won’t be able to lead—and thrive—through complexity if you’re drowning in busyness and activity.

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