#74 - Why Leaders struggle to catch up...and how to recover!
13 Aug 25
Leaders thrive on rhythm. Routine provides clarity, efficiency and momentum. But when circumstances, unexpected crises, shifting markets, personal setbacks etc, disrupt that rhythm, the consequences ripple quickly.
Lost time compounds, priorities blur and teams sense the disruption. Catching up becomes far harder than most anticipate. This newsletter explores why the 'catch-up trap' is so challenging, and offers practical ways leaders can recalibrate, regain control and restore trust.
It also makes me feel better about being late with this week's newsletter!! :-)
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#74 - Why Leaders struggle to catch up...and how to recover!
What?
When leaders fall behind, it isn’t just about a missed deadline or an unreturned email. Disruption creates a backlog of tasks, decisions and conversations that all compete for attention. The result is not simply 'being busy'. It’s a structural disadvantage. Leaders find themselves trying to manage today while also repaying yesterday’s debt, often with diminishing energy and effectiveness.
Why?
Several factors make playing catch-up especially difficult for leaders:
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Compounding effect of delay
Each postponed decision multiplies the number of downstream adjustments required. What could have been a simple choice last week becomes a complex negotiation today. -
Erosion of mental bandwidth
Leaders often rely on routines to conserve cognitive energy. Disruption breaks those systems, forcing more ad-hoc thinking, which in turn drains mental reserves. -
Loss of visibility and control
When routine breaks, information flow suffers. Leaders miss signals, and decisions may be made without their input further widening the gap. -
Team confidence at risk
People look to leaders for steadiness. Falling behind can create perceptions of unreliability, which is harder to repair than the backlog itself.
How?
Recovering from disruption requires discipline, not just effort. Leaders who successfully reorient follow three key steps:
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Pause and reassess
Instead of jumping into tasks reactively, step back to clarify: What truly matters now? What can be let go? A short pause prevents wasted energy. -
Prioritise with ruthless clarity
Not everything can or should be caught up on. Identify the 20% of actions that will restore the most stability and momentum. Communicate these priorities transparently with the team. -
Rebuild micro-routines
Rather than trying to instantly restore the old routine, start with small repeatable habits such as daily check-ins, decision sprints, or short focus blocks. These are the things that rebuild rhythm and restore predictability. -
Leverage the team
Recovery is not a solo task. Delegating and empowering others not only distributes the load but also rebuilds confidence across the group.
In Summary
Leaders don’t fall behind because they are careless. They fall behind because circumstances break the routines that keep complexity manageable.
Catching up feels so difficult because disruption compounds problems faster than effort can resolve them. Recovery requires pausing, prioritising, re-establishing routines and leaning on the team. With deliberate action, leaders can transform disruption into renewal, emerging more resilient and trusted than before.
And an apology helps...I'm really sorry this newsletter is late! ;-)
Have a great week!
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