As a Leader, Do You Always Need to Have the Answer?

Youโ€™re not a search engine.

But as a new leader, it can feel like you have to be one.

Your team asks questions. Pings you on Teams. Calls. Emails. And the instinct? Respond. Immediately. Every single time.

The problem? Constant interruptions chip away at your ability to focus, and focus is what you need most as a leader.

Itโ€™s what allows you to steer the ship, plan strategically, and make thoughtful decisions for your teamโ€™s success.

When you spend your days responding to every ping and notification, you lose the time and energy for the deep thinking that drives real progress.

What can you do?

โ€ข ๐—˜๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Set a daily hour of uninterrupted focus for you and your team.
โ€ข ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€: Encourage your team to solve what they can without you, building their confidence along the way.
โ€ข ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ: Leadership is about guiding the team toward long-term success, not managing every moment.

Start protecting your focus.

Itโ€™s the key to being the leader your team needs.

Set Boundaries and Protect Your Energy

Do you feel like you need to be available at all hours to lead effectively?

Many emerging leaders believe this, but itโ€™s a misconception.

Always being โ€œonโ€ drains your energy, leaving you with little capacity for the strategic thinking needed to truly lead.

Effective leaders understand the importance of setting boundaries. Itโ€™s not about always being present; itโ€™s about being present at the right moments.

Your energy and focus are your greatest assetsโ€”donโ€™t waste them on every minor distraction.

And always having the answer ready creates dependencies, lowers your teamโ€™s sense of ownership and problem-solving skills.

Step back.

Focus on the bigger picture.

Thatโ€™s how you lead with impact.

Reduce Time Spent On Your Phone And Reclaim Your Focus And Productivity

Our greatest fear? Not nuclear apocalypse or robot overlords, but something ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜บ horrifying: surviving two hours phone-free.

So, challenge accepted โ€“ last Sunday I ventured into the unknown at a Digital Detox event organized by The Offline Club in Amsterdam – kudos to Ilya Kneppelhout for hosting it.

The rules were simple: surrender your phone at the door and engage in some old school, wholesome activities like reading, face-to-face conversations, board games or even (๐Ÿ˜ฑ) writing.

No scrolling, no notifications, and no social media. The effects? I came out feeling recharged and connected.

The truth is, we’re all phone addicts. Look around any bus or trainโ€”every face is lit up by the glow of a screen, lost in a digital world, starving for genuine connection but endlessly scrolling social media.

We need our phones and itโ€™s hard to live without social media โ€“ Iโ€™m writing this on a social platform โ€“ but most of us feel weโ€™ve become ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ dependent on them.

Itโ€™s a tough battle: apps are designed to be addictive, success being measured in time spent on the app. A 2023 University of Michigan study even shows teens get an average 240 (!) phone notifications every day.

The impact on your brain? Increased stress, anxiety, and less ability to focus โ€“ both at work and in our private lives.

What can you do?
– Turn off notifications
– Set time-limits on apps
– When in conversation, keep phones from the table
– Create phone-free rooms (bedroom) or moments (lunch, dinner)
– Use the grayscale mode on your phone (for iPhone โ€“ Settings โ€“ Accessibility โ€“ Display Text & Size โ€“ Color Filters)

After I came home I discovered I forgot something: my phone, which was still in the box. To me, thatโ€™s a successful event. ๐Ÿ˜€

This week, I’m committing to one hour daily of digital silence. ๐Ÿ“ต

Which brave souls are joining me? ๐Ÿ’ช