How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough Time
The holiday season hits leaders, especially executive leadership, in two places at once. Work speeds up. Life speeds up. Deadlines close in. Expectations rise. The calendar gets crowded. In the middle of it all, the thing we need most is the thing that slips away first: presence.
Presence is not stillness. It is the ability to give the right energy to the right moment. When leaders lose that, productivity becomes frantic instead of focused. This is where the GiANT tools help. They give us language, clarity, and a way to understand not only how we show up, but how the people around us need us to show up.
The 5 Gears give us the backbone. The 5 Voices give us the filter. Together they help us shift our internal world so we can lead our external world with more intention.
Start With the 5 Gears
When time feels scarce, most leaders jump into Gear Four and try to sprint through everything. The problem is that sustained sprinting turns every interaction into a transaction. People feel it. You feel it.
The antidote is not slowing down. The antidote is shifting with purpose.
Gear One: Rest and Recharge
You cannot give what you do not carry. Even thirty minutes of true off time can reset your emotional battery.
Gear Two: Connect
Presence starts here. Eye contact. Listening. A moment of genuine interest. This is where trust is reinforced.
Gear Three: Social Mode
This is the gear of lightness. Holiday gatherings, informal check-ins, shared meals. It matters more than it seems because it strengthens relational glue.
Gear Four: Task Mode
Deadlines, goals, execution. Most executives live here. Productivity is real, but only when it is balanced by the other gears.
Gear Five: Focused Achievement
This is your flow state. Deep work. No distractions. It is the key to doing the right things, not everything.
The goal is not perfection. It is awareness. When you know the gear you are in, you can shift out of survival and into intention.
Use the 5 Voices to Stay Human While You Lead
Every leader has a natural voice. Every project and crisis tugs at a different one. The 5 Voices act like emotional indicators. When time gets tight, the loud voices get louder and the quiet voices get silenced. Here's how to use each one to stay grounded.
The Nurturer
This voice reminds you that people matter. During the holidays your team feels the strain too. Check on them. Protect rhythms. Celebrate wins.
The Creative
This voice helps you see possibilities. When you feel squeezed for time, creativity often hides. Invite it back. Ask: What is the simplest way to do this? What if we removed something instead of adding something?
The Guardian
This voice sees risk, quality, and standards. It is the one that keeps the wheels from coming off. Let it speak, but do not let it dominate. Perfection is not the goal right now. Excellence is.
The Connector
This voice rallies people and opens doors. It helps you keep energy up and relationships strong. Use it to bring clarity, encouragement, and alignment during a season filled with distraction.
The Pioneer
This voice pushes for results. During the holidays it can take over and unintentionally bulldoze the other voices. Let the Pioneer stay strong, but pair it with empathy so power turns into influence instead of pressure.
When you know the voice you are speaking from, you lead with far more intention. When you recognize the voices around you, you create healthier, faster collaboration.
Profiles in Projects: Build What Fits the Moment
The busiest seasons require teams to work at their best. Profiles in projects help you structure workflow so each person operates from strength, not stress.
Here's how to structure your team for maximum impact in this season:
Give the Pioneer and Guardian clear targets and ownership.
Create space for Creatives to bring new ways to simplify.
Let Connectors communicate key priorities to keep everyone aligned.
Give Nurturers the room to support and protect culture when morale dips.
When everyone works from their natural wiring, productivity rises and friction drops. This approach to leadership development strengthens both individual performance and collective results.
Presence Is a Leadership Skill
Being present isn't a luxury—it's a core leadership responsibility. It shapes culture, influences motivation, and determines whether people feel valued or squeezed.
Here are practical shifts that help you stay present even when time feels scarce:
Start your day in Gear One for ten minutes. No screens. Reset your mind.
Set two windows per day for real Gear Five work. Protect them.
Use Gear Two intentionally. Walk the floor. Look people in the eye. Check in with sincerity.
Simplify every project. Remove steps that do not matter.
Pay attention to your voice. Pay attention to theirs.
Presence is created through small decisions repeated often.
A Final Word for Leaders in the Holiday Rush
You cannot control the pace of the season, but you can control how you move through it.
Shift your gears. Use your voices. Work from your profile. Lead like someone who knows that pressure does not have to erase humanity. When you stay present, you make better decisions, build stronger teams, and finish the year with clarity instead of burnout.
Your people will feel it. You will feel it. And the work will be better for it.
Want to go deeper with the 5 Gears and 5 Voices? Klarity Culture helps executive leaders develop presence as a measurable skill. Learn more about our approach to leadership coaching.
