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Leadership Insights
“I know my work would be more impactful—maybe even more meaningful—if I could be more strategic. But I’m moving from project to project.”
This kind of tension is everywhere in higher education right now. And if your days look anything like this, it’s no wonder that you may be feeling this kind of stress:
- Back-to-back meetings
- Inbox-driven days
- Constant requests
- Little time to think
You’re responsive. You’re productive. But over time, something subtle occurs: Your leadership becomes purely tactical.
Sure, you execute your tasks well. But you rarely step back to ask:
- Is this work aligned with departmental goals?
- How is this work leveraged?
- Is this work moving us forward?
This isn’t a discipline problem. It’s an altitude problem.
Most higher ed leaders don’t lack strategic capability. However, their thinking, by necessary, is at the ground level. It’s too close—it’s tactical. And at that level, they lack the protected space to search out new horizons. And without that protected space, the tactical expands to fill every available minute.
When everything feels immediate, nothing feels directional.
The 90-Minute Shift
There’s one structural change that consistently makes a difference:
Schedule a 90-minute strategic block each week—and treat it as non-negotiable.
Not “if things calm down.”
Not “after this deadline.”
Non-negotiable.
During that time, you should not answer emails or tackle your busy work. This time is for rising out of the day-to-day to look for persistent patterns:
- Where are we drifting from stated priorities?
- What themes are emerging across projects?
- What tradeoffs are we avoiding?
- How does this week’s work connect to our longer-term direction?
Ninety minutes won’t eliminate complexity. But it will change the altitude at which you lead.
And here’s the deeper truth: When leaders never zoom out, their teams don’t either. Strategy disappears from the culture when every conversation feels urgent.
Strategic thinking doesn’t happen when things slow down. It happens when you decide to rise above the tactical.
Pause & Reflect: What Is Your Current Altitude?
Look at your calendar from the past two weeks.
On your own or with Sophia, our AI leadership coach (and without judgment), notice:
- How much time was reactive?
- Where did you create space to think, not just respond?
- What decisions were made quickly that might have benefited from perspective?
Now ask yourself: “If I continue leading at this pace for six months, what improves? What drifts?”
Before you close this email, identify one 90-minute block in the coming week. Put it on your calendar. Protect it.
On Wednesday, we’ll look at how to embed strategic thinking into the meetings you’re already leading, so that altitude doesn’t depend on willpower alone.