Should You Carry It?
Highly effective people know how to absorb responsibility, organize complexity, and produce results quickly. But their ability to carry more can create a dangerous assumption:
That they should.
There is truth in the familiar saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy (productive) person.”
Productive, effective people often have a high flow-through rate. They process quickly, make decisions, move priorities forward, and find ways to get things done when others can’t.
That capacity is a gift – one that easily becomes a trap if you’re not careful.
The more capable you are, the more people will bring to you. Problems. Opportunities. New responsibilities. Special projects. Important causes.
Before long, your calendar begins to reflect everyone else’s confidence in you rather than your own clarity about what you are called to do.
One of the most important questions a leader can ask themselves isn’t: “Can I do this?”
It’s: “Should I carry this?”
It’s about priority and capacity, not ability.
Capacity is often measured by output. How much can you accomplish? How many decisions can you make? How many responsibilities can you manage at once?
But executive capacity is about more than workload.
It includes your ability to think clearly, make sound decisions, carry emotional weight, maintain healthy relationships, lead through uncertainty, recover from pressure, and remain personally and spiritually grounded.
As a high-performance leader, you’re likely able to continue producing results long after crossing “the line” and operating beyond a healthy capacity.
The work may be getting done, but patience is thinning. Creativity is declining. Relationships are receiving leftovers. Time with God is rushed.
You are seen to be physically present everywhere and fully present nowhere.
Output alone is not an adequate measure of capacity.
A better measure is whether you can carry your responsibilities without becoming unhealthy, distracted, depleted, or disconnected from what matters most.
Some people naturally possess greater capacity than others. They process information quickly. They can manage complexity. They recover well. They can hold several priorities at once without immediately becoming overwhelmed.
That’s at least one of the reasons they’ve risen into senior leadership.
Capacity can also be developed through discipline, experience, strong systems, emotional maturity, physical health, spiritual depth, and wise delegation.
But growth doesn’t eliminate limits.
Even highly capable leaders have limits, and wise leaders learn to recognize those limits before circumstances reveal them publicly.
The real discipline, then, isn’t a measure of outcomes or productivity. It’s discernment.
High-capacity leaders rarely suffer from a lack of opportunity. More often, they suffer from a lack of adequate filters.
When several good opportunities compete for your attention, efficiency won’t solve the problem. You must decide what is truly yours to carry.
Does this align with my purpose?
Is it right for this season?
Does it require my unique contribution?
Can someone else carry it?
What will this cost the responsibilities I already have?
What will I need to neglect in order to say yes?
Not every problem you can solve is yours to solve. Not every open door is part of your assignment. Not every good opportunity is a God opportunity.
“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Paul doesn’t say we were created to do every good work. He proposes there are specific works God has prepared for us to do.
Without a clear sense of purpose and calling, high-capacity leaders can easily become servants of demand. Their schedules are shaped by whoever asks first, speaks loudest, or presents the most compelling need.
But calling provides a higher filter. It gives leaders permission to say no, even to good things.
Every yes carries a cost. It consumes time, attention, energy, and emotional capacity. It may reduce your ability to give yourself fully to the work and people that matter most.
A thoughtful no is not selfish. It may be one of the most responsible decisions you make.
This is especially important for senior leaders. Their greatest value is rarely found in taking on more tasks. It is found in providing clarity, making critical decisions, developing people, protecting culture, and focusing the organization on what matters most.
When senior leaders remain occupied with work others could do, they reduce their capacity for the work only they can do.
There is a self-care component to this as well.
Rest, margin, exercise, prayer, reflection, healthy relationships, and time away are not rewards for completing the work. They are part of the work.
They help preserve the clarity and strength required to carry responsibility well.
The goal is not to maximize every available ounce of capacity. The goal is to steward it.
Stretch when the season requires it. Rest when recovery is needed. Build systems that increase effectiveness. Seek counsel from people who can see what ambition, obligation, or the desire to be needed may be hiding.
And keep returning to the deeper question: What has God actually asked me to carry?
Your capacity may allow you to do more than most people. But your calling should determine what you ultimately choose to do.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation(s):
"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less"
- Greg McKeown
From Amazon: Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Are you often busy but not productive?
Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked?
If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
Essentialism is more than a time-management technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.
By forcing us to apply more selective criteria for where to spend our precious time and energy, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices, instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.
Essentialism is not one more thing to do. It’s a whole new way of doing less, but better, in every area of our lives. Join the millions of people who have used Essentialism to change their outlook on the world.
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"The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands"
- Lysa TerKeurst
From Amazon: Are you tired of living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul? Do you find yourself unable to say no even when you should? Are you stuck under the weight of endless demands and responsibilities? The good news is: it doesn't have to be this way.
In The Best Yes, New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst guides you through the insightful lessons she's learned about what it means to live out the purpose that God has in store for you. Lysa demonstrates the incredible power of two words—yes and no—and the way that these simple, daily decisions can shape the story of our lives.
Lysa has learned firsthand that there's a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God. Drawing from applicable scriptures and her own personal experiences, Lysa teaches us that if we know and believe that God has a plan for each of us, we'll live it out—serving as living proof of His never-ending grace and kindness.
Throughout The Best Yes, Lysa will give you the practical tools you need to:
Stop people-pleasing by embracing a biblical understanding of love
Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no
Overcome the agony of hard choices by grounding your decisions in wisdom
Grow closer to God as you sharpen your own discernment
Learn to be intentional with your time, your choices, and yourself
Incorporate the Best Yes as a filter for your daily decision-making
If we take time to slow down and rise above the rush of the world's endless demands, we can rest assured that God's wisdom will help us make decisions that will still be good tomorrow. No matter what season of life you find yourself in, you deserve the chance to make decisions that bring out the best you.
MMS 26-31
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