The Myth of Always-On Leadership | The Clarity Practice

For years, many of us have been conditioned to believe that great leadership means being always on and constantly available, reacting to emails, attending late-night calls, and never switching off. The truth? That approach doesn’t make you stronger. It burns you out and holds your team back.

My Turning Point

I learned this the hard way. Leading teams across different time zones meant I was often on calls at 11pm in Singapore while my UK colleagues were wrapping up their day. After the call came the inevitable request: “Can we have a quick catch-up?” Of course, I said yes.

I thought this was what good leaders did; staying available, proving commitment, showing up at all hours. But by the end of the week I was exhausted, frustrated, and, worst of all, I hadn’t solved anything new. That was the moment I realised: always-on leadership isn’t leadership at all. It’s firefighting.

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Why Always-On Fails

Always-on leaders are reactive. They’re stuck putting out fires, answering every message, and proving their presence instead of building capability. The leaders who actually create impact? They take a different approach. They pause strategically, step back, and focus on the bigger picture.

The Power of the Strategic Pause

I call it the strategic pause. And it works through three lenses:

• Clarity — asking what really matters and what deserves attention.
• Trust — letting the team step up instead of creating dependency.
• Energy — protecting yourself from burnout so you can make better decisions.

When leaders practice strategic pauses, they shift from reacting to leading. Here at the Clarity Practice we built a coaching methodology to tackle the most difficult leadership challenges.

A Challenge for Leaders

Here’s a simple way to start: tomorrow, cancel one meeting or decline one “quick catch-up,” and replace it with 15 minutes of a strategic pause. Ask yourself three questions:

• What’s truly important today?
• Whose perspective am I missing?
• What decision deserves more clarity before I act?

Small steps like this compound into stronger leadership over time.

Final Thought

The myth of always-on leadership is exactly that: a myth. True leadership isn’t about being everywhere, all the time. It’s about creating space for clarity, building trust with your team, and leading with energy that lasts. That’s not stepping away from leadership. That’s leading with clarity.

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