Why Leaders Need To Stop Living In The Moment
Always busy, never ahead; the importance of leading what's next, not just what's now.
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Many of the senior leaders I work with are driven by results. They like getting things done. They care about progress. They’re action-oriented. And they’re under pressure.
That’s why, even though they know they’re supposed to be thinking long term, they often find themselves pulled back into the here and now. The deal that needs closing. The negotiation that’s time-sensitive. The immediate pressure to deliver this month, this quarter.
And they’re not wrong. If you don’t succeed in the short term, you might not be around long enough to shape the long term.
But what happens when that becomes the default? When every meeting becomes about what’s urgent? When fire-fighting replaces future-shaping? When strategy becomes something you say you value - but only get to twice a year?
One COO I worked with recently described exactly this dynamic. “We’re a smart team, but our meetings constantly drift to what’s happening right now. That’s where the pressure is.” In fact, when we reviewed it closely, the proportion of time they were investing in longer-term thinking was disproportionately small - compared to the effort spent navigating this week/month/quarter’s challenges.
It’s not that the urgent isn’t important. It is. But it mustn’t be everything.
Because, if you’re not thinking about the future, who is?
Balancing short and long-term thinking isn’t a theoretical exercise - and it also isn’t a one time thing. It’s a real, daily leadership challenge. And it requires discipline, irrespective of level.
Particularly for leaders who love to get things done, and to get results, long-term planning doesn’t come with quick wins. It doesn’t give that satisfying dopamine hit. It asks you to delay gratification, hold uncertainty, and think about the long game.
Great leadership means making space for both. Driving execution today. And shaping a path for tomorrow. That balance will ebb and flow - and that’s fine.
But it should be intentional, not accidental.
Reflect: Take a moment to reflect how you’re currently showing up - and what might need adjusting:
Look at your diary from last week. What proportion of your time was spent in tackling today’s issues vs longer-term planning or reflection?
What gave you a sense of progress or pride? Was it about finishing something - or enabling something bigger to unfold?
Where have you created protected time or space to think beyond this quarter?
→ Tip: The Eisenhower Matrix is a classic tool for distinguishing between urgent and important tasks. It’s worth revisiting not just as a time management tool, but as a leadership lens too. Use it to review your last week, either individually or as a leadership team. Where did your time actually go?
Scale: The way your leadership team uses its time sets the tone, the agenda, and the ambition - for the organisation:
Look at the agenda for your next leadership meeting - how much of it is focused on immediate priorities?
What space does your team currently have to explore what’s next - not just what’s now?
How often does your team step back to ask: are we solving the right problems, not just the urgent ones?
What behaviours are being reinforced in your team - speed, volume, and urgency, or pause, reflection, and depth?
Focus: Even when the day-to-day is intense, the organisation needs to be built for the long haul.
What conversations about the future have been postponed or avoided - and why?
Where are you over-indexing on delivery at the expense of development?
How do your current behaviours shape the long-term culture of decision-making in your business?
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