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Reader,
When I was younger in my career, it was unfathomable to say no to something important. Less was simply not an option. More was always better.
Saying no.
One year, our team was preparing to expand our offerings. The whole process of deciding our strategies, laying the foundation for new things, and thinking deeply about the changes ahead…it was overwhelming.
If you’d asked what our team capacity was on a scale of 1–10, we would have said -10.
Our largest, most-loved event was on the horizon. We’d done it for years, and our stakeholders loved it. But things felt different that year. It all felt like a grind, whereas in years past it was energizing and exciting.
In one of our team meetings, I looked around the room and could see cracks forming. Exhaustion. Tension. A general feeling that there wasn’t time to sit here and meet about anything…however important it was.
I thought about everything ahead of us, and I made a very difficult and controversial decision. I cancelled the event.
I knew we could either succeed at the bigger strategies we wanted to pursue in the next year or delay those strategies in order to put on a great event. (Sure, we could have hired outside expertise and done both, but there were costs to that, too.)
Can we really do that?
At the time, it felt risky to pause something people loved.
But that year, we launched the most successful program our organization ever had. In fact, it drove more than 30% of our revenue within two years. And the impact it had on our organization was even greater.
Sometime around April, I was talking with some of our members and made a comment about cancelling the event. I was stunned to discover they hadn’t even noticed.
Imagine that. They were so busy setting their own priorities and focusing on their own organizations that they were completely unaware anything was missing.
Yes, you can.
Sometimes less is more.
Sometimes the thing you’ve always done doesn’t have to be done right now.
Sometimes your stakeholders won’t even miss it.
Sometimes it’s worth it.
Though it's often hard, you can press pause, snooze, or delete to make room for what matters most.
For example:
Maybe you noticed I didn’t write a single newsletter in January. Maybe you didn’t.
Once again, I made a choice to prioritize building a foundation for the bigger things I want to do this year. And the result surprised me.
For a long time, I’ve been wrestling with the question of who to serve, and how. I’ve faced a few difficult dilemmas:
Who I know. Mostly founders and CEOs.
- The opportunity: They all have rising leaders they need to develop, and many lack the capability and capacity to do it internally. They can’t grow their leaders fast enough.
- The dilemma: My current content speaks directly to rising leaders, so it hasn’t always resonated with founders and CEOs. Many don’t fully understand what I do.
Who I want to serve most. Rising leaders in key leadership roles.
- The opportunity: I’m certain that in two years or less, I can help a rising leader make the move from individual contributor to a strategic, capable leader of teams who can think like their CEO and drive results.
- The dilemma: This level of growth requires a higher financial, time, and commitment cost.
Who my network is referring. Younger leaders not yet ready to make big leaps forward.
- The opportunity: There are so many young leaders I would love to help grow in clarity and confidence, and so many I could help get unstuck.
- The dilemma: This is truly a different offering with a lower time commitment and cost. And for a long time, it felt like I had to choose one audience, not both.
I share this for two reasons.
First, you’re on my list for a reason. Perhaps the content I shared last year resonates as you think about building your own team. Perhaps it resonates as you think about elevating your own leadership. Or perhaps both.
Second, it demonstrates the importance of saying no to focus on what matters most.
During my time away from newsletter writing, I was able to reconcile these dilemmas with one unified program that serves all three parts of my network equally.
More to come. But for now, you’ll find my newsletters this year will be more tailored to founders and CEOs, while still being relevant to the rising leader who is learning to think like a CEO.
What about you?
Do you have a dilemma you’re trying to solve? A bigger strategy you want to pursue? A lack of time or thinking space to focus on what matters most?
If so, consider this: What can you pause, stop, or delay to make room for what matters most? Who knows. Maybe this one choice will make all the difference in the world.
Enjoy!
Sara
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