Why Great Church Leaders Do Less

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) at a simulcast location in my city.

In my opinion, the GLS never disappoints and this year was particularly impactful for me. One of the speakers that really made me think was Juliet Funt, who is the CEO of Whitespace at Work. I don’t actually know much about her organization but her presentation was something I really needed.

Let me give you her big idea: We are too busy to lead effectively. Good leadership requires thoughtfulness and most of us work at such a frantic pace that there is no space for thoughtfulness and reflection.

Funt’s premise is that we need “white space.” That is, space between meetings, activities, projects, or whatever to just freeform think — where our minds are free to run whenever. In other words, we need space to think the unthunk thought.

What I realized as I listened to Funt’s presentation is that there hasn’t been margin in my life for white space. I’ve been running so fast that I’ve begun to lead without adequate thoughtfulness.

You see, like you, I take my ministry very seriously. I work hard. I strive to be excellent. I operate off a block schedule to make sure I’m focusing on what is most important. I’m very disciplined and focused. On top of that, I’m never satisfied. When I drive to work I listen to leadership books or sermons. The same for when running or biking. I try not to waste a moment of my work day. Everything is focused on productivity or development.

But, what I recognized last week is that there isn’t adequate space in my schedule to think and to process all the information I’m taking in. So, here’s what I did on Saturday morning. I got on my bike and rode for about an hour. Normally, I would listen to a book on leadership or ministry while riding but this time I listened to nothing. I just rode.

What happened on that bike ride was an avalanche of unthunk thoughts. It was ridiculous. It was like my brain was saying “It’s about stinkin’ time!”

It was exhilarating. I’m not kidding. It was the best experience I’ve had in weeks. So many ideas, solutions, and even a few breakthroughs. My bike ride was an hour long idea explosion that completely validated Juliet Funt’s presentation at the Leadership Summit.

Now, the idea of white space isn’t new and it’s not rocket science. Great leaders have been practicing this idea forever.

For example, Jack Welch is known to have said that he spent an hour each day on “looking out the window time.” Bill Gates famously took two weeks every year for “think weeks.” These guys ran massive companies. I think we can all agree that they probably had more on their plate than we ever will and yet, a reoccurring component of their success seems to be their willingness to carve out time to reflect, think, slow down and process. I wonder how many brilliant ideas, solutions or innovations came out of these white spaces?

So, I apparently need more white space. My guess is that you do to. I haven’t exactly figured out what this will look like in my life but I’m committed to making it happen.

Here are a few ideas that I’m mulling over:

• A 15 minute break between meetings in which I refuse to check email or work on a project. Who knows, maybe I’ll stare out the window.
• Take a 15 minute walk without my phone during my work day
• Weekly bike rides in which I don’t listen to books or music
• Setting aside a day or two each week where I won’t be listening to books during my commute but rather letting my mind run wild.

It’s such a counter-intuitive thought. Becoming less busy might just unlock greater leadership potential within me and within you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and reactions to this in the comments below.