Neen James helps people think about how they focus their time, and how they maximize the impact, for not only themselves but also their organization. And she does a lot of very interesting coaching around systems thinking and communication techniques to improve executive effectiveness. Neen shares insights about paying attention, and how to focus your attention on the things that are your strengths and allow your team to focus on the rest.

Neen discusses the importance of remembering that No is a complete sentence. As CEOs, we must have shortcuts. We must have language that is understood by our team. So, an elegant way to say no is that sounds like a great project to be involved in. I'm at capacity right now, I'm going to direct you to this person. So you are acknowledging the request or the person or whatever the ask is. Because that's how we make them feel important. That's how we make them feel like we're giving them attention. But we also must be, have the courage to say, that's not a use of our time right Now, what I never want any CEO to say is, I don't have time. And here's why. When you say to someone, I don't have time, what you're actually saying is, I don't have time for you. And that's how we make them feel less valuable. And that's not our job because we're creating a culture where we want to develop the talent.

Neen leaves us with this challenge - have a 15-minute strategic appointment with yourself every day and identify your top three priorities that'll help move the business forward today.

For more advice and insight, I hope you will enjoy this Episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast.