The to-do list is endless. The emails never stop. As a new leader, it can feel like you’re playing a constant game of whack-a-mole, just trying to keep up with the daily grind.
In my coaching sessions, I often hear the same thing from first-time managers: “I’m completely overwhelmed.” We talk about time management, delegation, and other strategies to free up their calendars.
But then I ask a different kind of question: “What’s the vision? Where will your team be in two or three years?”
The answer is usually a blank stare or a fumbled response. And that reveals the real problem. If you, as the leader, don’t have a clear destination in mind, you have no way of knowing if the frantic work you’re doing every day is actually moving you forward.
From Task Manager to Visionary Leader
Clarifying your team’s purpose and connecting the daily grind to that bigger picture is one of the most crucial skills you can develop. It requires you to stop looking down at the pile of work on your desk and start looking up—and forward—to the horizon.
This isn’t just fluffy, big-picture stuff. A clear vision is a practical tool that:
- Clarifies Priorities: It gives your team a filter to decide what’s important versus what’s just urgent, helping them make smarter decisions without you.
- Empowers Your Team: When people understand the “why,” they are more empowered to take initiative and proactively move toward the goal.
- Creates Purpose: It transforms a list of tasks into a meaningful mission, reducing the feeling of burnout for both you and your team.
The Janitor and the Astronaut
There’s a legendary story about President Kennedy visiting NASA in the 1960s. He saw a janitor carrying a broom and asked him what he was doing.
The janitor stopped, looked him in the eye, and said, “Sir, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
Someone had done the work to connect that janitor’s daily task to one of the most ambitious missions in human history. Think about the difference between someone who is just “sweeping a floor” and someone who is “helping put a man on the moon.” Their commitment, their attention to detail, their entire mindset is different. Which one would you want on your team?
Your Guide to “Looking Up”
The next time you feel buried in tasks, hit pause. Block 30 minutes on your calendar to step back and think strategically. Ask yourself:
- How do we connect to the company mission and vision? Map your team’s work directly to the organization’s biggest goals. How are you helping to achieve that broader vision?
- What is our unique value? What is your team’s core purpose? Looking ahead a year or two, what could you be doing that would dramatically increase your team’s impact?
- What does the future hold? Look for trends in your team’s work. Are there predictable busy seasons or recurring problems? How can you shift from being reactive to proactive and get ahead of the chaos?
Regularly pausing to “look up” will give you and your team a powerful sense of purpose. It’s how you stop just managing tasks and start leading a mission. It’s how you stop just sweeping the floor and start helping your team get to the moon.
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