Time Mastery: Is it Worth the Time?
posted by Martin Boroson on November 27 2017
Time is the most fundamental constraint in our lives–and perhaps our most precious resource–and yet we rarely take time to think about it … to feel about it … or to figure out how to deal with it.
If you are a leader, this issue has even greater importance, because your attitudes to time affect not just your own happiness and success, but the well being, effectiveness, and vitality of your whole organization.
This is why we were so delighted that forty-five leaders chose to devote a full day of their time for the debut of the One Moment Company’s program Time Mastery for Leaders, delivered as part the Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. in November.
The day started with a deep dive: we dismantled some common assumptions about time, explored the nature of time, and identified why time “management” and even productivity training gets it so wrong.
From that foundation, through lectures, coaching, reflection, deep conversation, and experiential exercises, we helped participants explore their own experience of time, and consider time as a function of beliefs, values, intentions, and attention.
The One Moment Company designed these powerful exercises to help leaders to dissolve the beliefs about time that have been holding them back, to focus on what is most essential, to become truly discerning about the kinds of time they need, and to learn how to boost attention so that they can make the best use of time.
Based on what participants’ shared, the learning was going to be applied in many different ways. Some people felt empowered to live in accord with their deepest values; others got insight into how they could be “leaders of time” for their teams; and others explored how they could change what we call the “time culture” of their organizations. Said one participant, “I do organizational turnarounds, so I frequently enter new companies and feel this was incredibly helpful as I set parameters with my new teams.”
For us at the OMC, it was an exhilarating day–indeed, time seemed to fly by. It was a delight to work with such an open and willing group of leaders, and we are deeply grateful for their participation.Their feedback scores confirmed how deeply impactful our disruptive approach to time can be. Here’s what they said:
Time Mastery is important to my success as a leader.
95% agree or strongly agree.
As a result of this session I can make better choices about my use of time.
90% agree or strongly agree.
I would recommend this session to others.
95% agree or strongly agree.
We also asked participants to describe, in their own words, what they loved most. Here are just a few of our favorite replies:
- This reframed my perception of “time management”. Wonderfully paced program with adequate time for reflection. Very authentic teachers.
- I feel more empowered and am eager to give up my old perceptions of time and its “constraints.”
- [I loved] learning that a moment is all it takes to change.
