Just Ten Minutes…
*Phone buzzes with an incoming text message*
“Hey Chris do you have ten minutes?’
It happens a couple times pretty much every week; and I like it.
I encourage the leaders I work with to reach out when something comes up.
Our regularly monthly PACE calls and team workshops are the primary way we interact, but when they find themselves dealing with something urgent, emergent, upsetting, or causing them to start to spin mentally I want them to reach out. If they don’t feel the situation should wait I’m eager to have a quick chat.
I know it’s probably going to be more than ten minutes.
And I know that leaders sometimes just need someone to talk to who they trust for both wisdom and support.
Most of these calls are about leaders needing to manage their own thoughts and feelings while they address challenging situations with staff, board, or people they serve. They’re looking for affirmation that they aren’t doing something foolish or rooted more in their own insecurities than what’s most effective. Or they’re doing something they haven’t done before and aren’t sure where to turn for best practices.
In just a few minutes we can often get clarity and confidence for next steps.
And, on rare but wonderful occasions, they want to share a celebration with me about something we’ve discussed in the past that has turned out great.
One of the enduring challenges for busy leaders is distinguishing between interruptions and opportunities. Our schedules are already overflowing, so taking even a few minutes for an unscheduled conversation can throw the whole day off. There are lots of experts who warn us to avoid these immediate interactions that so often spiral into more time than we anticipated or agreed to. I get that.
But I’m also someone who believes leading is largely about service. Serving people, causes, values, and strategies. If I am too busy to have a conversation with a highly capable person who is under pressure it’s likely that I’m overcommitted. The leaders I work with don’t reach out for silly reasons. They respect my time and they know I’ll give them my best attention as soon as I can.
I want to help. So I tell them early in our relationship that I welcome those requests for ten minutes. Because sometimes a key ten minutes makes all the difference.