When we think about a successful person, we often think about someone who is very busy, works very long hours and often weekends. I used to think like this and I used to work all the time because I felt that’s what you’re supposed to do to have a successful career.
If we’re honest though, does living like that sound appealing? Do you want to work all the time? Unable to unwind, because you’re always checking your emails?

Last year, after reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Busy: How to thrive in a world of too much by Tony Crabbe, I’ve made changes to the way I work. I’ve turned all email notifications off, on all my devices, including my main laptop. If I want to see my emails I have to consciously open up Outlook. This allows me to concentrate on a task, rather than getting distracted by every incoming email.

Blocking time in my calendar allows me to deal with anything that does need urgent attention (which usually means it’s about people, not things). I’ve also put aside time to work on important projects that are not urgent, to make sure that I’m not just solving today’s crisis every day. These changes have allowed me to cut down the number of hours that I work. Yes, I do occasionally do a bit of work in the evening, or on the weekend, but it’s an exception now, rather than the rule that it used to be. At the same time, I feel like I accomplish more. And my mailbox hasn’t turned into one of these black holes that some of my colleagues seem to be dealing with. Or trying to anyway.

If people see you as a leader there’s another problem with working all the time and not responding to emails. People who work for you will mimic your behavior. They will work all the time and feel that it’s ok to not reply to emails. Because that is the example that you are setting. Even if you tell them they shouldn’t, they will do as you do, not as you say.

After reading Multipliers by Liz Wiseman the idea that working a lot of hours isn’t necessarily a good thing took even stronger root for me. Multipliers are genius makers. They bring out the intelligence in others. They get the most out of their teams and makes them feel trusted and valued. The opposite of a multiplier is a diminisher. Diminishers, who almost always mean well, get less than half of the intelligence and energy out of their teams. They leave their teams underutilized.

Diminishers feel that intelligence is scarce and fixed and that they if they want something to get done, they have to get personally involved. With a mindset like that, you can understand why someone might be very busy.
Multipliers look for what people are naturally good at (their native genius) and try to stretch and grow those skills even further. They create space for others and allow them to fail, within a reasonably save boundary. They do however also demand that people take ownership and they won’t shy away from asking hard questions.

I’ve been trying to act as a multiplier for several months now, but I find it hard to tell how well I’m doing. The accidentally diminishing behavior that I’m most likely to exhibit is called “Pace Setter”. Being a Pace Setter means you are so on top of things, working so quickly, or focused, or at such a high quality that no one else gets a chance to step in and take responsibility. While working for a leader like that might sound ideal, it often means that other people don’t get a chance to use their skills and intelligence. If you do this for too long, they will give up, because you will take care of things anyway.

A clear sign of multiplying is delegating significant amounts of work to your team, in a way that allows them to be successful. I’m working with the best teams that I can possibly wish for and seeing people grow and be successful is the most rewarding part of my job.
The added benefit of delegating is of course that you don’t have to do all the work yourself. Thus allowing you time to work on projects that are challenging you and that allow you to grow too. And to spend your evening writing a blog post.
Today was my first day back at work after a two-week break and I was lucky enough to be part of a brilliantly led meeting that was not only a lot of fun, but that also achieved a result that I did not expect at the start.
If anyone is looking for me I’m over here trying to create more space for my team and being very proud.