How "Too Busy to Manage" Is the Worst Excuse in Leadership

Let’s call it what it is: if you’re a manager claiming you’re “too busy” to manage your team, you’ve missed the entire point of your job. Management isn’t about how much work you can get done—it’s about how much your team can achieve under your leadership. And if you’re still acting like an individual contributor, you’re not managing—you’re just hoarding tasks and hoping for the best.

This excuse—“I’m too busy to manage”—isn’t just lazy. It’s destructive. It leads to disengaged teams, poor performance, and a breakdown of trust. And here’s the truth: if you don’t have time to manage, you shouldn’t be a manager.

The Purpose of Being a Manager

When you became a manager, you took on a new role: to lead, guide, and empower a group of people to achieve more together than they ever could individually. Your job isn’t to be the star player—it’s to be the coach.

Managers who spend all their time focused on their own tasks, while ignoring their team, are failing at the most basic requirement of leadership. You’re not paid to do—it’s your job to get others to do. And if you’re spending more time on your own workload than on your team’s success, you’re not managing. You’re micromanaging yourself.

Why This Excuse Fails Everyone

When managers focus only on their own work, they leave their teams floundering. Decisions are delayed because no one knows what to do. Priorities are unclear, and employees feel unsupported and unmotivated. The team underperforms—not because they’re incapable, but because their manager has abandoned their responsibility.

And let’s not ignore the ripple effect. A neglected team quickly becomes a disengaged team. Disengaged employees don’t stick around. Before you know it, you’re dealing with high turnover, low morale, and a reputation as the manager no one wants to work for.

You Don’t Get to Have It Both Ways

Here’s the reality: if you’re too busy to manage, you’re too busy to be a manager. You don’t get to take on a leadership role and then ignore the people you’re supposed to be leading. Managing isn’t optional—it’s the job. And if you’re still acting like an individual contributor, it’s time to rethink why you’re in this role in the first place.

Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself—it’s about enabling your team to deliver. That means setting clear priorities, providing support, and creating an environment where people can thrive. Anything less is a failure of leadership.

Stop Using "Busy" as a Shield

“Busy” is not a badge of honour—it’s a sign of poor time management and misplaced priorities. If you’re spending all your time on tasks instead of your team, you’re not leading. You’re hiding.

Start by delegating more. Empower your team to take on responsibilities. Focus on the bigger picture—coaching, developing, and supporting your people. Your team’s success is your success. If they fail, that’s on you.

Manage Your Team, or Someone Else Will

If you’re “too busy” to manage your team, don’t be surprised when someone else steps in—whether it’s another leader or your team members finding their own way without you. And when that happens, don’t complain about being sidelined. You sidelined yourself the moment you decided your tasks mattered more than your people.

Managing is the job. If you’re not willing to do it, step aside and let someone who will.

Thanks for reading! If you’d like me to help your organisation develop better leaders who prioritise their teams and drive results, let’s connect.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like my books:

• The Employee Handbook: A Practical Guide for Managing Your Career
• The Manager Handbook: A Practical Guide to Managing Your Team
• The Talent Acquisition Handbook: A Practical Guide to Candidate Experience
• The HR Handbook: A Practical Guide to Employee Experience
• Change Catalysts: Leading Change Against All Odds