Most leaders do not burn out because they are lazy.
They burn out because they stay trapped in daily operations without ever stepping back to think.
I learnt this painfully while working with the Hospitals Manangement Board in Delta State, Nigeria.
I remember one particular season at one of the hospitals I was head of.
Every day felt like a fire drill.
I was fixing schedules, signing forms, handling patient complaints, solving emergencies, and reviewing drug inventory simultaneously.
One day, exhausted, I sat down and asked myself a confronting question:
“If I step away from this role today, what systems will survive me?”
That was when I realised I had become a reactive leader instead of a strategic one.
Strategic thinking separates busy leaders from effective leaders.
It is not just about sitting in high-level meetings or wearing fancy titles.
It is about asking better questions.
It is about building structures, not just managing activities.
Harvard Business Review defines strategic thinking as “the ability to step back from the noise of daily tasks and focus on patterns, consequences, and long-term value.”
Most leaders I meet are drowning in tasks.
Few are designing the future.
Below are five practical ways I began to move beyond daily operations and embrace strategic thinking:
- I scheduled uninterrupted thinking time on my calendar weekly. Even 90 minutes a week made a world of difference.
- I started asking, “What am I solving for? Today’s crisis or tomorrow’s opportunity?”
- I looked beyond symptoms and dug into root causes.
- I built systems and delegated authority, not just tasks.
- I focused on scaling impact, not just increasing speed.
Leadership pulse check for this week:
Block 90 minutes to reflect on your current leadership practice.
Ask yourself, “Am I leading today, or am I building for tomorrow?”