Had a frantic 2024? If you want next year to be more innovative, productive and successful ‘doing less’ is a good place to start, says Tom Blower

We’ve reached a leadership crossroads. Despite countless development programmes and strategies aimed at enhancing leadership and management, so many of us still struggle with inefficiencies, misaligned priorities and burnout. People to oversee, meetings to attend, boxes to tick.

According to Slack, 70% of business leaders feel pressured by executives to increase productivity. However, McKinsey’s research reveals that while leaders claim to value innovation, they rarely create the space needed for it. This disconnect points to a deeper issue: many leaders confuse visible activity with real progress. People find it easy to conflate graft and being ‘always on’ with efficiency and success.

Leadership coaches are often part of the problem, inadvertently reinforcing this cycle by focusing on new ideas and strategies instead of addressing the deeply held belief that hard work leads to success. It’s time to challenge the myth that busyness equals efficiency.

We often reward those who are busy, active and industrious, as it serves as an easy – but sometimes misleading – measure of effectiveness. Many of us subscribe to the myth that success stems solely from relentless hard work. Yet, as management expert Peter Drucker wisely observed, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Making trade-offs

Organisations often advocate for adaptability and innovation, proclaiming there’s ‘no such thing as a wrong answer’ and encouraging team members to ‘ideate freely’. Yet, in practice, day-to-day tasks are prioritised, leaving no room for meaningful change. To achieve progress, leaders must make trade-offs, letting go of some activities to create space for new initiatives. It’s a practical necessity – endlessly adding tasks without removing others is unsustainable.

This might seem obvious, but many leaders fail to act on it.  Or they take misguided action, such as offering wellbeing sessions to those feeling overwhelmed rather than addressing underlying issues. The trend is clear: despite abundant data and wisdom, people still choose busyness over productivity. We need to ask ourselves what we’re missing. As Socrates said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’

To make meaningful progress in 2025, maybe it’s time to adopt a counterintuitive yet transformative idea: letting go.

Banishing busyness

Our obsession with busyness is a relic of outdated workplace norms that prioritise oversight and control over creativity and autonomy. Promotions and praise often go to those who deliver quick, visible results, leaving little room for reflective leadership. Day-to-day tasks and endless meetings dominate schedules, trapping leaders in cycles of manic productivity that stifle innovation and exacerbate stress.

But all that busyness really gives us is the illusion of progress – which is why we find it so comforting. History shows us that slowing down yields the best results. Charles Darwin, for instance, credited his groundbreaking ideas to reflective walks. Bill Gates famously practices ‘Think Weeks’, where he retreats twice a year to a secluded location with no distractions to reflect and strategise.

Letting go of busyness challenges ingrained assumptions about leadership, but effective managers understand that stepping back doesn’t diminish their value – it enhances it. Because leadership is not about doing more, it’s about focusing on what truly matters.

Strategies for change

Embracing a new mindset requires deliberate action and the courage to challenge old habits. Reflecting on what works and what doesn’t is essential for growth. A good place to start is by asking yourself a few questions. ‘What went well this year that I want to do more of?’ ‘What didn’t go well and how did I contribute to the problem?’ ‘What tasks can I delegate to focus on higher-impact work?’

Reflection is an opportunity to identify areas for intentional change, not just a critique of past actions. Another powerful tool is the ‘future back’ approach. By envisioning the successes of 2025, leaders can identify the obstacles they overcame and determine which tasks or habits they need to abandon to create space for these ‘wins’.

And remember, you don’t need to navigate these changes alone. Seeking input from colleagues can provide valuable insights on delegating tasks, reducing unnecessary meetings and improving focus. This openness has the added benefit of building trust and collaboration within teams while lightening the leader’s workload. Inviting ideas and feedback through open questions can spark collaborative conversations. Asking questions like ‘How can I support your success in 2025?’, ‘What responsibilities of mine would you like to take on next year?’ or ‘What tasks should I delegate to others?’ opens the door to meaningful dialogue and shared growth.

Creating space

Busyness often obstructs the space needed to challenge current thinking and propose better ideas. By creating that space, we can create psychological safety, encouraging people to voice concerns and question assumptions, paving the way for fresh perspectives. As science author Steven Johnson said in his book Where Good Ideas Come From, innovation thrives in environments that prioritise collaboration, connectivity and reflection.

The belief that busyness signifies success only perpetuates inefficiency, as team heads focus on doing more rather than doing what matters. They work ‘within’ their roles instead of ‘overseeing’ them, missing opportunities for strategic thinking.

It’s not made easier by the fact that so many organisations reward visible output. Promotions favour those who deliver quick results rather than those who ask hard questions. That’s because challenging the status quo carries the high risk of making others uncomfortable, potentially affecting one’s ratings, status or reputation. But staying silent risks perpetuating habits that may not serve the long-term interests of the business or the individuals within it.

Real leadership requires a mindset shift that values reflection, intentionality and trust. Maybe it’s time to ask whether you’re focused on the right goals, or whether someone else could handle a task more effectively.

Again, these questions may feel counterintuitive in a culture that prizes activity, but they’re essential for long-term success. It’s only those leaders who let go of outdated practices who create space for sustainable growth.

The young ones

There’s been much discussion about how younger generations are challenging traditional assumptions about work, viewing health and success as complementary priorities.

For Gen Xers, this shift may feel unsettling – many have spent decades working under leaders who valued hard graft as the ultimate measure of success, often in a more predictable era.

But organisations that embrace this evolving mindset can unlock the adaptability and creativity that newer generations bring to the table – including innovation and resilience in a fast-changing world. Let’s not forget, Blockbuster collapsed because it resisted change, while Netflix thrived by embracing innovation.

To reshape management, leaders should consider adopting the behaviours they wish to see. Reflection and strategic thinking need to be as valued as visible activity. And that can only happen when management let go of the compulsion to oversee every detail.

Why not make 2025 the Year of Letting Go. Banish busyness and embrace intentional, meaningful work – and unlock the real potential of your business. Progress isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters. Have you got what it takes to step off the hamster wheel and make space for real innovation?