I once worked closely with two VPs of Engineering with very different calendars. One had a packed calendar, often double- or triple-booked. In those meetings, he was often rushed and unprepared. He made hasty decisions seemingly to save time that actually created churn and rework.

Another VP had a mostly-free calendar — just a few meetings each day. He was calm, relaxed, and ready to give high-quality focused attention when an important issue came up. The meetings were generally tight and effective, with time for a few digressions. He still worked hard, and had plenty of ‘slack’ in his day for important-but-not-urgent work. Much of his flexibility came from carefully explaining his thought process and decision-making frameworks so that our team could effectively make similar decisions independently.

Guess which VP was newly promoted, and which one had been doing the job for 10 years? One was in over his head, struggling to figure out what needed his attention, and what to delegate. The other had figured out the few tasks that were critical for his success, and made systems and trained colleagues to manage the rest.

Busyness may not be a sign of important work and responsibilities — it may be the sign of poor or outdated management practices.

Now when I feel too busy to work sustainably, I ask myself, ‘What systems are missing or outdated? What training is needed? What can I delegate?’ It’s a powerful antidote to burnout, a reminder that effective management isn’t about doing it all, but about empowering others to do their best. In that act of trust, everyone can thrive.