"I don't have time to think." The leader I had called to schedule our next coaching session reviewed her calendar, "There's no time," she said, with a begrudging acknowledgement that the thing she needed most was eluding her.

This phenomenon is common among leaders these days. The fact that leaders can be reached anywhere in the world carries with it the expectation that they should be available wherever they are and whenever others want to contact them.

The need for decisions which others are unwilling or ill prepared to make places leaders in the center of the maelstrom. The organization can't move ahead unless the leader decides, and decides now.

The importance of guiding an organization and its people through the uncertain and unpredictable dynamics of the marketplace requires the leaders' involvement.

Unfortunately, far too many leaders today persist in personally responding to the seemingly inevitable and endless stream of demanding people who clamor for their time, attention, and action. It's as if the only way the ship can stay afloat is if the leader simultaneously steers, paddles, and bails out the flood pouring through the holes in the bilge.

Odd, isn't it? The one person whom the rest of the organization believes has the most influence and authority, in fact, has the most pressure and the least freedom.

As the leader I had called realized, she didn't have the time she needed to think. Why is that a problem? Shouldn't leaders lead the way by fighting through the difficulties and showing the rest of the organization how to win by persistence and effort?

Not really.

Leaders are responsible for making decisions that affect the lives of others. That's what they do. The ability to make sound decisions requires clarity and focus that only comes from having time to think. And when leaders don't find the time, their reservoir of energy becomes depleted and their decision- making suffers.

The most effective leaders find ways to carve out the time they need to think and, in the process, to replenish their energy so they can provide the leadership their organizations need. In the next issue, I'll review some of the successful ways that leaders do this.

It's summertime. Various newspapers and magazines have published suggestions for vacation reading. The lists, as always, cover an array of subjects and categories - fiction, non-fiction, biography, science fiction, mysteries, romances, etc. I normally opt for biographies of leaders I admire (Alexander the Great, for example), histories of ancient Rome and Greece, non-fiction that explains commonplace things (Salt, Cod, etc.), and series of British naval fiction set in the Napoleonic era (Patrick O'Brien's work stands out).

What do you read?

Many of the most successful leaders I know read continuously. Their appetite for learning is voracious and reading is one way they feed that desire.

Reading does more than foster learning, though. It provides leaders with an escape from the daily grind and the constant pressure. Breaking the psychological straps that bind leaders is an additional benefit.

It also fosters intuitive thinking and problem solving. As the Rand Corporation realized more than forty years ago, if you want to increase creative problem solving, get people to think about subjects and topics far from the subject at hand.

A colleague sent me a RFP (Request for Proposal) from a government agency seeking consultants to help them build a leadership development program. Since that's one of things I do, I reviewed the RFP. It was a befuddling document.

The RFP suffered from the fuzzy thinking about leadership that is so pervasive and prevalent. Four of the more egregious mistakes include:

Turning leadership development into a bureaucratic exercise. In this case, spending nearly half the RFP detailing the number of internal constituents whose agendas would have to be addressed.

Assuming the latest fad is the answer. Trends in leadership development come and go. Publicity does not equal relevance. Just because you read about it in the press does not make it suitable for your organization.

When in doubt, throw in everything, including the kitchen sink. A sure sign the organization is confused is to include an encyclopedic list of things they want in their program.

Mimicking others. It's safe and easy to do what others have done, despite the fact that their circumstances may be quite different.

Leadership development is hard enough - this kind of fuzzy thinking only makes it more difficult. If you are considering a leadership development effort, let me know. I'll be glad to help you avoid the fuzzy thinking and build a program that addresses your particular needs.