One thing I definitely learned in my years in management: Chronic busy-ness was the implacable enemy of thinking.
Typically enough, especially in the last decade of my corporate career, I worked in a lean environment where the management mantra was "doing more with less."
With employees to manage, personal projects to handle, budgets to balance, vendors to work with, sales reps to speak with, and perhaps most time-consuming of all, a seemingly endless but unpredictable array of daily "fires to put out," I, like many managers, found myself constantly trying to do too much in too little time. A common casualty was quality of thought.
"You're too tactical," an old manager of mine used to tell me. "I want more strategic thinking from you." In retrospect I'd say he was right, but there was a reason for it.
Carving out time
When you're trying to keep your head above water, your main goal is to prevent drowning, not to swim with perfect strokes. This was often my management reality.
I thought about these circumstances recently when I came across a Harvard Business Review management tip, Schedule Time for Reflective Thinking Every Week. The suggestion resonated greatly with me.
"When you've got a packed calendar and an overflowing inbox, it's tough to find time to think," the tip noted. "But improving the quality of your ideas requires unstructured, reflective thinking. This activity helps you examine your assumptions and draw connections between pieces of information. How can you make the time to do it? It depends on your individual schedule and rhythm."
The tip went on to suggest scheduling tactics like setting aside specific times on your calendar, or combining "thinking time" with other solitary activities like taking a walk or breaking for coffee.
It made me realize I had sort of done the same thing without realizing it. I was fortunate to work for a company that had a great on-site fitness center, and for many years I'd spend my lunch time, whenever I could, going for a run. Nothing too long or fast - usually about three miles - but I often said it cleared my head and I did my best thinking (such as it was) while I was running and had nothing to distract me. As my old boss reminded me, I was probably still too tactical... but for sure I would have been worse without the running.
It was definitely my most reflective thinking. I'd think about employee problems, creative issues (national advertising was one of the functions I long managed), projects I was trying to complete, any number of unresolved management challenges.
A disciplined approach
So I did it in a rather scattershot way, but I think HBR is 100% on target in advising managers to approach this in a more disciplined manner and make the time for it in a way that works for you.
As noted above, they point out it naturally has to fit with your own personal "schedule and rhythm." Yes indeed.
"Whatever strategy you choose," they advise, "make sure the time is a regularly scheduled and protected event on your calendar, uninterrupted by emails, calls, or meetings."
Yep, couldn't agree more. My own guess? It could become the most valuable time of your week.
