Harmonious Leaders Take Time

Time is our greatest resource. It is the terrain on which all business and life battles are fought, gained or lost. Every task evolves through time and makes use of time. Even so, the availability of such a unique, irreplaceable and powerful resource is often taken for granted. Successful leaders respect time and treat it with special concern and care. A lack of time is a major constraint in every project and activity.

Time is the seed of the universe, says the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian poem. Time is also in its properties; it always comes, but never returns. Unlike other resources that can replace each other (e.g., capital, and labor), time is completely non-exchangeable and indispensable. It cannot be harnessed and saved for later. Irrespective of the demand, the supply cannot be increased. You can't save it to spend it on another day. When it is gone, it has vanished forever. Not even the best scientists can invent new minutes. Time is a very equitable resource because it cannot be rented or bought. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. The wealthy and clever have no more than the poor and stupid. Time is inelastic. Even so, time is amazingly forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you (probably) still have today.

Perhaps even more than people and money, time is a key resource, necessary for any type of activity. Needless to say, harmonious and efficient time management is a must. The minutes, hours, days, weeks and years ahead of us bring opportunities that should not be lost.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, we learn from oriental wisdom. Time brings change that must be managed, and every new day initiates the remainder of our business and private life. If you want to be efficient, make sure to balance the three segments of your time: for work, family, and yourself as a person.

For most ambitious leaders, work means life, and the rest just happens “along the way.” A settled family life, providing satisfaction and happiness, is as important for career success as a battery for starting a car engine. Energy is not just there to be spent; it needs to be rejuvenated. A harmonious leader will, therefore, devote time and affection for his family or friends. It is still one of the major pillars on which our internal harmony stands. As suggested by Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, it is wise to employ “people who have balance in their lives, who are fun to hang out with, who like to laugh (at themselves, too) and who have some non-job priorities which they approach with the same passion that they do the work.” Bitter workaholics and grim professionals should find jobs with the competitor. Why? Because such an attitude is disharmonious; its effects on the overall work culture and values is negative in the long run.

Every individual must have time for himself, his hobbies, his self-development outside of work and family. Otherwise, if they happen to lose their work or family, they are left with nothing.

While I was studying management in New York, I heard of a successful businessman from the West Coast who was offered a new job in the midst of his career. Very pleased with his current position, he was suddenly faced with an offer that was hard to refuse: the current job, which he truly liked, and the challenge of a great new career. What should he do?

He remembered a school friend who had, in the meantime, become a famous career consultant, and he called him to seek advice. I’ll help you free of charge, said the friend. I only ask that you come to New York by train. I can charter an airplane, a rocket ship, and get there right away, said the businessman. I don’t have time for half-a-week journey by train. Please, do as I tell you, or solve the problem on your own, responded his friend. I’ll be sorry for the rest of my life if I don’t make the best decision, contemplated the businessman, and finally he decided to board a train for the Big Apple.

He spent the first hour reading a newspaper, irked by the very thought of the long train ride, wondering how much his job was already suffering because of this. Then, he stared out the window for a while, counting telegraph poles alongside the tracks. Next, he drank a cup of coffee and finished reading the newspaper. He took a short walk, glancing through a window at the shadows of the mountain range, reddened by the evening sun. Soon, as it was too early to sleep and there was nothing left to do, he started to reflect upon the reasons for his journey. He suddenly realized that he had not pondered his ambitions, wishes, career, or personal goals for over a decade. Struck by a unique feeling of pleasure, he started a long conversation with himself about the purpose and meaning of his career.

Somewhere in South Dakota, half way to NYC, he finally recognized what it was he wished for in his life. Eventually, the train reached Grand Central. Smiling at his friend who was waiting for him in the station, he called out: “I’ve got it! I don’t need your advice.” I asked you to ride a train, said the career consultant, so that you would think about your dilemma with no distractions. I knew you would come up with the best solution. You just had to take time to find it!

An old Irish prayer teaches us: “Take time to work; it is the price of success. Take time to think; it is the source of power. Take time to play; it is the secret of perpetual youth. Take time to read; it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly; it is the road to happiness. Take time to love and be loved; it is the privilege of the gods. Take time to share; life is too short to be selfish. Take time to laugh; laughter is the music of the soul.”

Self-development is a search for harmony and it takes time. In order to take a look at their career and life from a distance, every once in a while harmonious leaders must pull themselves out of the everyday routine. It is important to know that the days and hours spent on thinking, strategy, vision, planning, contemplating — paying attention to personal or group goals — are not wasted time but rather the best investment in the future. How you spend your time is how you spend your life. Make it harmonious and balanced!