The Leadership Lesson I’m Bringing Home from Italy

I’m in Italy this week with my husband, celebrating our 20th anniversary, and noticing something that doesn’t come naturally to me: a slower pace.

It also doesn't come naturally to most businesses, or leaders.

So what do we do when the pace starts to take a toll? When our teams say they're overwhelmed? When everything feels like too much, too fast?

I share my thoughts and a practical response in this Two-Minute Tip.

• Read the video transcript

  When this Two-Minute Tip goes live, I will be in Italy enjoying a two-week getaway with my husband celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.

  And so it seemed appropriate to do an Italian inspired Two-Minute Tip.

  One thing that I'm anticipating is a different pace in Italy. Naturally, they are known for being less rushed, for taking their time, for soaking in every moment.

  And this is quite the opposite of my typical personality. I am constantly rushing from one thing to the next. In fact, I'm known for cutting my fingers frequently in the kitchen because I'm chopping so quickly. And so hopefully I am taking advantage of soaking up this slower pace. But it got me thinking that oftentimes you may be hearing your employees saying that

  there's so much going on and they just need more time in order to get everything done. And leaders, what I want to challenge is that maybe they don't need more time, they actually need fewer priorities. One of your most important leadership jobs is deciding what not to do. Deciding what thing needs to go to the back burner, what doesn't need to be a priority.

  And so if your team is feeling stretched, I want you to look at what's on their plate and decide what should go to the back burner. What do they not need to focus time and energy on right now? Channel your best unrushed Italian culture. Slow things down and deprioritize things that don't actually need to be urgently focused on at the moment.