Welcome to our November blog series, The Art of Unlearning, in which we will explore how leadership evolves when we press ‘pause’ on the constant doing, make space for reflection, and allow new ways of leading to take shape.
You know those weeks when your calendar feels full before it even begins?
Every conversation seems important, yet by the end of the day there’s plenty ‘done’ but not much has truly moved forward.
When pace and pressure rise, our instinct often leans toward adding: another tool, another meeting, another layer of planning. Yet more doesn’t always mean progress.
Sometimes what’s missing isn’t effort, but space.
What if instead of adding, we tried letting go?
Letting go doesn’t have to mean giving up. It can simply mean pausing long enough to notice where your energy and attention can create the most value and where they no longer do.
The Quiet Cost of Holding On
When everything feels important, decision-making blurs. Teams lose clarity about what really drives impact, and leaders carry too much of what could have been shared, adapted or released.
You can usually spot the signs in small, everyday ways:
- The weekly meeting that feels obligatory but unclear in purpose.
- The report that gets produced but rarely read.
- The initiative that once energised people but now feels like an obligation.
These are rarely the result of poor leadership; they’re often the residue of past success. What worked once simply hasn’t been revisited.
And yet, even when we know something has run its course, letting go can feel confronting. In fast-paced environments, stillness is often mistaken for passivity, and the pressure to stay productive can drown out the quieter call for discernment.
However, space isn’t a luxury - it’s what allows new possibilities to take root.
Pausing to ask, “Does this still serve?” can be one ofthe most strategic acts a leader takes.
Making Space for What Matters
Letting go doesn’t need to start with a grand gesture like a big restructure or a bold announcement. It begins with noticing - where energy goes, where it leaks, and what patterns keep repeating.
When we bring this awareness into how we lead, our conversations naturally change. They move beyond to-do lists toward purpose and value. Teams can see what still matters most and where time and energy could be redirected for greater impact.
Practical Ways to Begin Letting Go:
Audit your “should's” - With your team, list the activities that sit on autopilot - the things you do “because we always have”. Ask together: “If we paused this for a month, what would happen? You might be surprised how little changes and how much clarity that brings.
Notice where energy dips - After meetings or routines, take a quick pulse: Do people leave clearer or heavier? Energy often reveals what metrics miss.
Create space deliberately - Protect uncommitted time – whether it’s an hour in your own week or an afternoon a month in your team’s calendar. Use this for thinking, connecting, resetting your focus or catching up on what matters most.
Acknowledge what’s complete - When something ends - a project, a process, even a long-held habit - take a moment to name what it contributed. Recognition helps people let go without losing meaning.
Reflection
- Where do you sense clutter in your schedule, your team’s rhythm, or your own mind?
- What’s quietly asking to be reviewed, simplified or released?
For most leaders, space rarely appears on its own, it has to be made. The challenge isn’t usually a lack of commitment, rather the constant pull to fill every moment.
Sometimes the most effective act of leadership is choosing not to.
In our next blog, we explore how unlearning turns inward; loosening the patterns that once defined how we lead, and rediscovering the range that helps us grow.
Images by Alexandre Alex, Mohammed Raihan and Getty Images on Unsplash
