30 Minutes

The daily practice that elevates leadership impact

Earlier this week, I spoke with a cohort of leaders at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.

After sessions like that, something predictable usually happens. People connect on LinkedIn, some ask for time, some want clarification on something that I shared, some want my feedback on what they are working on or a problem that they are facing. I try to make time for those conversations whenever possible. You never know what you’ll learn or how a different perspective might matter in someone else’s journey.

This time, many of the follow-ups centered on one simple tip:

“Protect 30 minutes for intentionality every day.”

Several people asked, “What do you actually do in that time?”

That question says something, because they realize that as their responsibility expands, intentionality is usually the first thing leaders sacrifice. And when that intentionality disappears, leadership impact usually goes with it.

What Those 30 Minutes Are (And Aren’t)

Those 30 minutes aren’t meant to be focused on “productivity”. It’s not inbox-zero or refining slides or taking a quick call.
It’s meant to be time for alignment, before Slack, or email, or phone calls. The goal isn’t output, it’s elevation of energy, and alignment and intention.

As much as possible, I sit outside with a cup of coffee, even if that means a fire going and a blanket on my lap. There’s solid research showing that even brief exposure to natural environments restores attention and reduces mental fatigue. Sunlight and open space widen perspective and quietly settle the mind before the day accelerates. (Check out Stephen Kaplan’s “Attention Restoration Theory”).

The First Two Minutes

The first two minutes of that 30-minute block are always the same for me.

I run through a quick checklist that I lovingly call FLARB :

• Fitness – What exercise will I get in today and do I have that time scheduled?

• Linking – Who should I connect with today? Often this is a list of people who I haven’t connected with in a while, sometimes its in response to an introduction from a colleague.

• Appreciation – What happened yesterday, or what realization did I have, that I’m thankful for?

• Reflection – What one outcome would make today meaningful?

• Book-learning – What will I read today? Often this a business book, but sometimes a biography or HBR.

One sentence each that I write in my journal. it doesn’t require perfection or perfect grammar.

Those two minutes anchor the remaining 28.

The Remaining 28

Once aligned by the first 2 minutes, the rest of the time is flexible. Sometimes I think through an important decision. Sometimes I write or read or meditate. But the goal is to avoid the tendency to try to be productive.

There’s solid research behind that instinct. In “Rest”, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang talks about how deliberate rest improves performance and creativity. There’s also strong research showing that when we stop forcing solutions, the brain’s subconscious thinking steps in and that’s often when insight or creative ideas emerges.

The Compounding Effect of Intention

Elevating our leadership impact is subtle; sometimes we over-index on Red instead of Blue tasks or we mistake activity for progress.

Thirty protected minutes won’t feel dramatic in a single day. But over weeks, it increases calm, reduces stress, leads to more creativity and ability to respond thoughtfully instead of reactively. Over months, it elevates how we lead.

Impact doesn’t increase by accident. It expands when we choose to be intentional. Often before 8am, outside, with a cup of coffee.

Leadership impact isn’t created in crisis. It’s built daily.