Can you be a good leader without being well organised?
In the pre-reads we send to our clients, we always pose this question. And their responses are very revealing.
A resounding no, supported by reflections such as these:
- “You cannot be a role model if what you convey is disorganisation and chaos.”
- “How are you going to help your team get organised if you are not organised yourself?”
- “Without personal organisation, there is no clarity about what is truly a priority.”
- “You don’t have quality time to dedicate to those who need you most.”
- “Don’t tell me I could be your replacement, because I see your life and it’s definitely not one I’d want for myself.”
This last one made us reflect deeply in relation to the topic of retaining talent.
Their answers are powerful, because you can tell they come from lived experiences. They have personally endured the consequences of being led from chaos, and they recognise that disorganisation is not just their leader’s or manager’s problem: it is a virus that ends up affecting everyone.
In parallel, this weekend I came across a concept that struck me and made me think: FAKE PRODUCTIVITY. It is that constant theatre of looking busy while consciously or unconsciously avoiding what truly matters. It’s what we often refer to as being in the hamster wheel of the 4 Ms: mails, meetings, mobile, and Teams messaging.
It really isn’t laziness, because you remain busy. In some cases it is procrastination; in others it is active survival in the face of a lack of clarity about what is actually expected of us, because the leader does not provide that. This ties back to what we highlighted earlier: a good leader must be well organised for many reasons, but the main one is to help their team align priorities.
As we read in an article by TOI Education:
“Fake productivity is not laziness, it is a symptom of misaligned systems. In today’s workplace, visibility has become a proxy for value. Teams are adapting to a culture where being seen outweighs producing results.”
Tremendous. This reality is far more common and widespread than we dare admit when it happens within our own company or area of responsibility.
How do we break this vicious cycle? The solution requires four fundamental steps:
1. Humbly accept our areas for improvement
As leaders, honestly recognise that we need to get ourselves organised in order to dedicate real time to our teams.
2. Create clarity around what matters most
Be aware that our teams often lack clarity about what we expect from them. Ambiguity fuels fake productivity.
3. Help them be decisive in their prioritisation
Guide our team to move from “saying yes to everything” to “shaping their calendars around what is truly a priority” and being brave enough to say no.
4. Implement agile follow-up
Instead of waiting six months to find out whether the team is performing, create systems to measure their progress monthly so we can give them feedback, trigger rapid adjustments, and provide targeted support.
Leader, do it for yourself if not for others. Disorganisation is not just a personal problem, it is a ticking time bomb that will sooner or later affect your credibility and results. It will also impact your teams—their balance between personal and professional life, and their happiness—more than you might think.
Pregúntate: ¿Estás liderando con el ejemplo de organizarte bien: priorizo, planifico y ejecuto protegiendo mis planes? ¿O estás contribuyendo sin darte cuenta a esa cultura de productividad falsa, pues no saben qué se espera de ellos?.