Get your calendar out of the old job

Your new responsibilities need time for strategy, resource decisions, leader development, and reviewing results. Compare last week’s calendar with those responsibilities, including unplanned requests and work you did between meetings.

For each recurring commitment, ask what requires your presence. Keep the work that needs your authority or judgment. Transfer other responsibilities to an appropriate leader after checking their capacity, skills, and support needs. Agree on the decisions they can make and when to involve you.

Give them the information and coaching needed to take over, then tell the people affected who now owns the work. When they resolve a recurring issue, acknowledge what they changed and keep subsequent requests with them.

Schedule the executive work you need to complete. Use a specific purpose, such as reviewing investment options or coaching a leader through a staffing plan. A clear purpose helps you decide whether a new request should replace it.

If an urgent problem requires you to take an operating role, explain the temporary arrangement and set a review date. Check whether your calendar changes are allowing the business decisions and development work to get done.