A key question for any leader is, ‘What is it that must be done, and only I can do it?’

‘What only you can do’ might relate to taking final decisions, influencing key decision makers, or making staff appointments. It might include client management or other external relationships. It will definitely include the development of your team, and your participation in your boss’s team.

It won’t include the things that can be done sufficiently well by others, given the right amount of guidance. Nor will it include anything that could be deferred or dropped without damaging your central purpose.

Imagine a very large glass jar, and imagine some rocks which represent the things that only you can do. The things that are less important or can be done by others are represented by pebbles and sand. If the jar is full of pebbles and sand, there will be little space for the rocks, so you have to identify your rocks, and keep repeating the exercise whenever new demands come in.

It may sound simple, but clients who try it say it’s really helpful to draw their rocks on a tablet or a whiteboard and to keep revisiting them whenever they feel they are drowning in sand.

They go on to say that the picture helps them to :

• Ask themselves where they are really adding value, as opposed to firefighting.
• Accept there are only 24 hours in the day and that rest, exercise, and their personal life should also be part of the picture.
• Look at their diary commitments and the extent to which these match the rocks. Often they say that half the commitments have been put in by others, and they find themselves attending a meeting because they spotted it too late to withdraw gracefully or to find someone to attend in their place.
• Take control of the diary, or give clear guidance to whoever is managing it.
• Have honest conversations with sponsors about their expectations, and find out what is really most important to them.
• Discuss the analysis with their team, who may bring fresh angles to problems, and may have some useful feedback to offer. Involved teams are likely to be more confident and motivated. A leader is no help to their team if they have no time to talk about anything other than task lists.
• Make a judgement on when work needs to be perfect, and when the 80–20 rule is just fine.

The exercise often prompts people to block out thinking time every week, and remind themselves that sticking to it will make them more productive…