There is always lots to do with conflicting demands on time. Accessibility to tools such as Teams, Zoom often mean you are always available throughout the working day and if not disciplined this can go well outside either end of the traditional hours of the working day. On the one hand the development of remote working has provided many benefits including reducing commute times and the ability to work from anywhere that has an internet connection. What this has encouraged is a digital form of presenteeism with an increase in the number of the meetings.

Despite the request for meeting agendas, pre-reading and the why am I required, what is my role, there is a perceived guilt for missing a meeting or more likely FOMO (fear of missing out). This is filling our days of working remotely, whilst an observed trend of returning to the office for an increased number of days, sometimes with a clear rationale to improve collaboration and creativity, sometimes to protect the working environment for it to appear busy from an occupancy perspective. Busyness results from collaboration and often being pulled in too many directions. Collaboration is the most powerful tool an organisation can deploy to get the right people together to tackle a business problem or exploit an opportunity with urgency and agility. In the current environment it feels a challenge to get tasks completed due to conflicting demands on time and hours spent collaborating or rather updating in meetings. 

How can this be addressed? In a previous reflection, prioritisation was discussed, however this problem is deeper rooted than prioritisation alone. How often do we stop and reflect on what we are doing? Asking the question of what the objective is and are we truly adding the value we know we can with focus. Enter the Power of the Pause!

In its simplest form, in a meeting stop to think and gather thoughts before speaking, although the silence will often be filled by another train of thought that will shift the dynamic. One simple step is to limit the number of attendees in a meeting, McKinsey’s work on effective remote meetings concluding ‘the number of attendees for decision-making meetings, the sweet spot is five to seven. More than seven attendees in any meeting can result in an unwieldy discussion1’. Agendas and timings should be addressed, the shorter the time the better to maintain attention span with fewer agenda items to gain the focus and seek thedecisions required. This places the emphasis back on the meeting organiser to undertake the pre-meeting planning.

How as an individual can we play our part in ensuring that we manage our time and workload effectively. We can take the time to reflect yet this is often the first item to be surrendered when time is pressured. If we do manage an opportunity to reflect, are we truthful to ourselves and implement our thoughts?

One of the best mechanisms to allow this to happen is work with someone who is not involved with the day-to-day routine yet understands the challenges that you are going through. A mentor can provide an effective resource primarily to allow you to pause and reflect. The skill of the mentor is to be able to actively listen, challenge thinking and ask probing questions to uncover underlying thoughts of why something is happening whilst helping to shape thinking based on their past experiences without giving the answers and pushing an agenda. If working within a technical discipline, finding a mentor who has the relevant knowledge is a very powerful resource as their experience is relatable and stretches thinking beyond where we’ve been before. We don’t know what we don’t know. A mentor and mentee relationship must be built on trust, honesty and provide a safe space to discuss and explore a course of action that empowers the mentee to take a positive step forward. 

A successful mentor assumes the role of trusted advisor and the contract with the mentee should embrace the 3C’s of clarity, communication and commitment2. In the words of ten-time national UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who created the Pyramid of Success was quoted as saying, “what it comes down to, I believe, is that mentoring often involves telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear. When you are able to be humbly honest with someone about a situation with which you have personal experience-even if you risk angering or hurting that person-you are offering the most valuable gift of all.”  What differentiates a good from a great mentor was summarised in Ted Lasso as a ‘good mentor hopes you will move on, a great mentor knows you will3’. Why Ted Lasso? Look at his influence by what’s hanging on his office wall alongside the most powerful word in the changing room ‘Believe’.

Now is the time to stop being busy, be brave and believe. Use the power of pause and be ruthless with your time, say no when appropriate. Identify a mentor, build a relationship and work with the trusted advisor who will commit their time and energy to share what you need to hear and that wants to see you succeed. Focus on what matters most. If you lead, others will follow.

Together we can be less busy and more impactful with meaningful collaboration that moves us forward.