Over the years, one phrase has surfaced repeatedly in leadership conversations:
“I just don’t have time.”
Whether it is time to connect with teams, think strategically, or focus on culture, these essential leadership priorities often take a back seat to what feels urgent. Not because leaders don’t care, but because they’re caught in the constant cycle of managing.
At MRG, we work with leaders who are seeking to shift from operational overload to intentional leadership. A tool we often return to is the Eisenhower Matrix, a simple yet powerful framework that offers insight into how time is being spent.
Understanding the Matrix
Many leaders are familiar with the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorises tasks along two axes: urgency and importance.
- Urgent and Important – crises, deadlines, and high-stakes decisions
- Not Urgent but Important – strategic planning, coaching, and long-term growth
- Urgent but Not Important – interruptions, status updates, and low-value approvals
- Not Urgent and Not Important – distractions, routine busywork, and low-impact tasks
This Eisenhower Matrix is frequently used to prioritise tasks, but it also serves another purpose. It helps identify where time may be unintentionally misallocated, particularly within the “Urgent but Not Important” category.
Activities such as Micromanagement, over-involvement, and attending meetings out of habit may seem productive, but they often result in diminished trust, missed development opportunities, and a limited strategic focus.
The Core of Effective Leadership
Sustainable leadership takes place within the “Not Urgent but Important” quadrant. This space, though often quiet and overlooked, is where meaningful impact occurs. Making time for direct engagement with teams, offering constructive feedback, planning beyond the immediate horizon, supporting others through coaching, and actively shaping organisational culture are the actions that distinguish truly effective leaders. These behaviours elevate leadership beyond operational execution and enable longer-term influence and value creation.
A More Strategic Use of the Matrix
When working with clients, we encourage them to reflect more deeply on how they use their time. The goal is not only to categorise tasks but to explore broader behavioural patterns. Leaders are asked to consider where they might be intervening unnecessarily, which responsibilities could be delegated, and which aspects of leadership are consistently deprioritised when demands increase. Importantly, they are encouraged to consider how they can create protected time for the work that drives strategic outcomes.
These questions are not always easy to answer in isolation. Coaching provides the structure, challenge, and accountability that support leaders in making meaningful and sustainable changes to their leadership approach.
Moving from Reaction to Intention
The transition from managing to leading begins with heightened awareness and continues with deliberate choices that align with a leader’s purpose and organisational goals.
At MRG, we partner with leaders to support this transition. We help clients move beyond reactive routines and into a space where leadership becomes intentional, focused, and impactful.
Leadership is not defined by activity alone. It is characterised by clarity, presence, and the ability to prioritise what truly matters.