We look up to leaders who appear capable of doing everything. They answer every email, attend every meeting, solve every problem, volunteer for every committee, and somehow still find time to put out every fire before it spreads. From the outside, that kind of activity looks amazing because we connect being busy with being important. The more that is on someone's calendar, the more valuable we think they are. That type of leader gets all of the hype, but nobody is asking, “Is all of that movement actually producing meaningful progress?”

Unfortunately, movement and leadership are not the same thing. To be honest, they often sit at opposite ends of the leadership spectrum. The leader who insists on being involved in every discussion, approving every decision, and solving every problem eventually becomes the sticking point that slows everyone down. Instead of leading the organization, they spend their days reacting to it. Their calendar is controlled by everyone else's priorities, while the work only they can accomplish is continually pushed to tomorrow.