“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes — including you.”
— Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott’s observation is deceptively simple. It isn’t really about switching off — it’s about recognising that clarity, judgement, and effectiveness deteriorate when there is no space to reset.

Leadership is no different.

Why Space Is So Often Misunderstood

Space is often mistaken for absence — for disengagement, or a lack of presence. In reality, the opposite is usually true.

When leaders create space, they are often more present, not less. More attuned to their business, their teams, and their clients — because their attention is no longer fragmented by unfinished thoughts, unresolved decisions, and constant internal noise.

A familiar example makes the point well. On every flight, passengers are instructed to put on their own oxygen mask before helping others. Not because helping others isn’t important, but because it’s impossible to support anyone effectively if you are struggling to breathe yourself.

Lamott’s quote points to the same truth: when leaders never unplug — even briefly — performance degrades quietly and steadily.

Space is not a weakness. It is a tool serious leaders use to operate at their best.

Space Is Not Absence — It Is Preparation

When leaders intentionally create space, they create the conditions for clearer thinking, better judgement, and fewer — but stronger — decisions.

Space allows leaders to be more prepared, more connected to what matters, and more engaged in the right conversations. It provides the clarity needed to prioritise effectively and avoid reacting to everything that comes their way.

Used well, space becomes part of the work — not a break from it. It is how leaders ensure they are working well, not just working constantly.

Why Leaders Lose Space as They Grow

As businesses grow, complexity grows with them. Responsibilities expand. Teams increase. Decisions multiply.

In this environment, space is rarely lost through a single choice. It disappears gradually — crowded out by good intentions, rising demands, and the pressure to stay involved in everything. Like the familiar metaphor of the frog in boiling water, leaders often don’t realise they’ve lost the space they need until the strain becomes undeniable.

Ironically, it is only by stepping back — by unplugging, even briefly — that leaders become aware of how little space they had.

This is why space must be intentional. Without discipline, it is almost always the first thing to go.

The Cost of Leading Without Space

When leaders lose space, they lose perspective. Patience shortens. Confidence in decisions — both their own and others’ — begins to erode.

This often leads to fatigue, not just from volume of work, but from constant second-guessing. Decisions become disjointed. Direction blurs. Strategy weakens. Over time, vision becomes diluted.

When this happens, teams feel it. Purpose becomes harder to articulate. Morale is affected. Progress slows.

This is the quiet cost Lamott is pointing to — not sudden failure, but gradual degradation when nothing is ever allowed to reset.

Creating Space Requires Intention, Not Permission

Space does not appear on its own.

Leaders cannot wait for things to calm down before creating it — that moment rarely arrives. Space must be chosen, protected, and prioritised.

Whether this means deliberately blocking thinking time in your diary, resetting boundaries, or changing how and when you engage, the responsibility sits with the leader. Not because others are at fault — but because leadership requires ownership.

Choosing not to create space is also a decision, with consequences that are often felt later rather than immediately.

The Forms Space Can Take

Space is personal. What creates clarity for one leader may not work for another.

For some, space comes through quiet reflection. For others, through conversation. It may be found in solitude, in movement, in structured thinking, or in gaining an external perspective.

The format matters far less than the function.

The key is understanding what allows you to reset — where your attention settles, where perspective returns, where judgement sharpens.

Support Is One of the Most Effective Ways to Create Space

Space is difficult to sustain alone.

Left to ourselves, most of us default to familiar patterns. This is why structured support works — whether in fitness, learning, or leadership. It creates protected environments where thinking is challenged, assumptions are tested, and perspective widens.

Having a thinking partner — someone removed from the day-to-day — introduces a different frame of reference. It can be uncomfortable at times, but that discomfort is often where growth begins.

Seeking support is not weakness. It is maturity. And for leaders responsible for others, it is often essential.

A Discipline Worth Protecting

Space is not a luxury. It is a leadership discipline.

Almost everything does work better when it is given time to reset — including leaders.

The question is not whether space matters, but whether you are protecting it.

And if you truly unplugged — even briefly — how differently might you lead?