Less is More: Practicing Restraint as a Leader

Leadership is full of paradoxes. One of my favorite paradoxes is that sometimes we do more by doing less. Here are four ways that leaders can be more effective by practicing restraint.

Speak less, listen more

Speaking less creates space for others to speak up and allows you to tap into their ideas and opinions. If you have more formal authority than others in the room, people naturally cue into your energy and preferences and are more likely to cater their answers to agree with you. Encourage others to speak first while you actively listen and then affirm their participation after they speak.

This even applies if others share your opinion. Advocating less for your perspective enables others to use their own words to strengthen the case. The group will see there's wider support for the issue, and as a result more people will take ownership for the decision.

Do less yourself — empower others

A leader's core work isn't to get stuff done. It's to build a system and to develop people who can do what’s needed to sustain the organization. Develop your people so they can take up greater responsibility and empower them with the appropriate authority and resources. Instead of trying to do it all yourself, you build the team who can do it. Another paradox: good leaders should be working towards developing teams and organizations where they are no longer needed. Often, when you step back, others step up.

Stop “doing” and pause to reflect

So much of leadership is about broader scanning, sensemaking, and discernment: Are we focused on doing the right things? What's happening in the world that will affect the organization? What systems and practices need to be put into place to prevent these recurring challenges? What's a signal that indicates a change to the plan is needed vs. what's just noise? What does all this mean for what the organization needs to focus on?

When we're caught up in our busyness, we don't have time to truly reflect and assess the context. Sometimes reflection can feel like you're not doing real work, and yet it might be some of the most important work you can do as a leader. Some simple practices can help: taking a walk to clear your thoughts and ideate; building in reflection time to journal and make notes; building in strategy time for yourself and for your team.  

Many leaders love to be busy--answering emails, solving problems, putting out fires,responding to whatever is imminent--but by doing so you might be missing theforest for the trees.  

Step away from your work. Rest is good.

Time away from work can be essential for you to show up as your best self at work. Eatingwell, getting exercise, and cultivating meaningful relationships outside of workwill help build the emotional reserves you need to handle workplace stress, make challenging decisions, and have difficult but necessary conversations.

It's alsoa great way to model sustainability to others in your organization. Daniel Goleman and Liz Wiseman both warn about the dangers of a "pacesetter"style leader-- the one who sets high standards of excellence by working hardand long hours and producing high output. While this may seem like a great way to model high expectations, it can be discouraging because many people feellike they cannot keep up.

Rest and work can be mutually reinforcing--taking time away from work can help us return more energized, balanced, and present.

Practicing restraint

Leaders don’t always need to be the busy and commanding presence.

Leaders can be powerful and effective by holding back intentionally in order to give room for others to feel engaged and take up more responsibility. In doing so, they foster greater shared ownership and strategic thinking.

This is an essential practice for leaders in employee-owned companies and other organizations that care about creating an engaged and participatory workplace. Sometimes less can result in more.

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