In the workplace, leaders are often so busy trying to keep up with their workloads and the responsibility of taking the organization forward that they fail to spend the quality time with their staff necessary to support, guide and build relationships. While the team may be profitable, over time it will lack the depth and quality necessary for long term success.

Effective leaders..

• Appreciate the value of spending time with their team members in support, training and things not related to work.
• Realize that their time is limited and valuable and so think about how and who they will spend their time with. Often it's the "creaky door that gets the oil" and the leaders' precious time is taken up by exceedingly needy and problematic team members. This will impact on the effectiveness of the team, as the team members who want to grow and develop can miss out on this time with their team leader.
• Manage their time well and can say “No!” at the right time.
• Know that for long term success it is important to find a balance between time at work and time at home. What is the value of being successful at work when all of our personal relationships are falling apart?

So, who are the people in your team (and in your family) you need to spend some more time with? How are you going to set this up so that it happens regularly? Are there people in your life that you should be spending less time with?