Doing More with Strategy, Not More with Less
In higher education and technology leadership, there’s an unspoken expectation: be available. Respond quickly. Say yes. Stretch yourself and your team a little thinner each week.
It’s easy to equate leadership presence with constant availability. But availability isn’t the same as presence. In fact, the more stretched we become, the less present we often are.
The Cost of Always On
Being “always on” comes at a cost. It drains focus, clouds decision-making, and chips away at trust. No one leads well when they’re running on empty.
The irony is that the moments when we step away — whether that’s a true day off, a protected evening, or simply a pause between meetings — often give us the clarity we need most. Pausing isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership discipline.
Why Strategy Beats Stretching
Leaders aren’t hired to be everywhere, answer everything, and solve it all immediately. We’re hired to create clarity, direction, and sustainable systems. That doesn’t happen when we’re reacting; it happens when we’re present.
Doing more with strategy means deliberately choosing focus over constant motion. It means recognizing that saying no is sometimes the most strategic leadership move you can make.
Questions for Reflection
This week, try asking yourself and your team:
What are we doing that no longer serves us?
Where could we pause, even briefly, to regain clarity?
If presence is the goal, what do we need to stop doing to create it?
Because leadership isn’t about how much we stretch. It’s about where we focus.