If you are a leader driven by numbers or results, looking for the short-term gratification of how the sales close at the end of the month or the quarter, you may ask yourself how to make this sustainable.

How often do we think it is okay to postpone things that we consider important but delay them because we know we will not see any result in a short time? How many times, conscious or not, are we looking for short-term recognition or self-accomplishment, like not having emails to respond to in our inbox? In the fast-paced world of leadership, it's easy to get caught up in immediate satisfaction.

How many times do we live our days in automatic, running from one meeting to another, leaving no time for reflection, and without wondering what it is for?

Pause for a moment; what are the most important things in your life?

As a leader, you have an extremely important responsibility —how you support and develop your people. As a leader, you have the responsibility to decide how you want to impact them.

As a leader, you lead by example. If you’re not encouraging your team to prioritize, to take care of themselves or their family, and you’re not showing them that you are doing it too, I would invite you to reflect on what are really the most important things in your life.

Everyone has the power to decide. To make choices.

Take the time to reflect on what's in the influence that you are creating around you. Your family, kids, friends, colleagues, and reports are seeing you. As a leader, integrity is one of the most important values. Be coherent with what you say and what you do. How you treat people, how much you care about others, and the time you prioritize with your family are only reflections of who you are.

Many articles are starting to appear, presenting predictions and trending initiatives that you should follow if you want to stay ahead. These articles seem like recipes, outlining actions you must take to avoid falling behind, and the recommendation is to start right away. Competition is intense, and information is everywhere, detailing the most advantageous practices that leading companies are putting in place.

A not-so-minor question arises: ahead of what? Following what's trendy and copying other companies' journeys can propel you further, but in the wrong direction.

If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same results that everyone else gets. Best practices aren’t always the best. By definition, they’re average.
— Shane Parrish.

Let's go back to basics. What problem do you want to solve?

You have plenty of resources and information. However, instead of looking at what other companies are doing, you should turn to your customers, employees, and team. What problem do you need to solve, and how do you want to solve it?

Every organization and employee is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all. There's no recipe. Take the time to talk with the people you are working with and determine what may be the best for your organization.