When I was a product marketing leader for a corporate regional bank, I found myself getting annoyed during an all-day strategy meeting. My frustration came from hearing the same voices, sharing the same old ideas. I wondered why other people, especially the women in the room, weren't speaking up. I remember thinking, "Well, you could be the one to speak up."
Their follow-up response usually depicts an organizational culture characterized by back-to-back, early-morning-to-early-evening meetings. Contrary to the more humane values listed on their organizational websites, the lived culture glorifies being busy as a badge of courage, strength, commitment, and competence. In reality, "busy time" leadership is reactionary, fragmented, transactional, and disrespectful. Ultimately, this approach negatively impacts leaders' ability to acquire critical information for effective decision making, foster a psychologically safe organizational culture, strengthen talent retention, and reduce burnout and quiet quitting.