April 09, 2026

Fight for Space Why Every Leader Needs Micro, Medium, and Macro Breaks

15 minutes

In this episode, Alan Briggs brings two of his popular Taking Steps video emails to the H2 Leadership Podcast — short, practical teachings he sends to leaders every couple of weeks. Today's focus is space. Not the theoretical kind. The kind you actually have to fight for in a real schedule with real demands pulling on you from every direction.

If you're constantly behind, constantly stressed, and never quite present in the moment — Alan has a reframe for you. Space is not a luxury. It is an occupational requirement of leadership. And if you don't fight for it, it is not going to show up on its own.

Alan walks through three types of space every leader needs to build into their life, and then zooms in on one of the most powerful practices he's implemented in his own leadership — the quarterly think day. Eight hours, no meetings, no email, just deep thinking on the biggest decisions and opportunities in front of him. The results have been consistently transformative.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

Why the way most leaders think about time is actively working against them

The three types of space every leader must fight for: micro, medium, and macro

What micro space looks like in a real day — and why even five minutes matters

The Sabbath as a "get-to day" in a world full of have-tos — and why every leader Alan knows who takes it seriously wishes they had started sooner

The quarterly think day — what it is, how Alan structures it, and why it costs about ten dollars and returns serious clarity

Why leaders who only react are slowly losing their creativity and their purpose

What it looks like to go from a full day of deep thinking to presenting clear objectives to your team

How macro space — vacations and sabbaticals — isn't just good for you personally, it's essential for your team and your leadership

The simple challenge: can you take two, four, or eight hours this quarter to actually think?

Reflection Questions:

When was the last time you had uninterrupted space to think about where you're actually going — not just what's in front of you right now?

Which of the three types of space — micro, medium, or macro — are you most neglecting, and what would it take to fight for it this week?

If you blocked a think day this quarter, what are the two or three big topics you'd bring with you?

Resources Mentioned:

Right Side Up Journal — available on Amazon

H2 Leadership Coaching — h2leadership.com

Taking Steps — Alan's monthly email and video series for leaders

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By H2 Leadership

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