APLI Consulting

The best leadership advice I give all leaders is the mandatory 45-min break in your day. This is the most important meeting you have on your calendar. Whether you do it first thing in the morning, mid-day, or end of day, you must take 45-mins each day.

The goal:

- Clear your head
- Assess what went well or what could have improved to this point
- Prioritize your top 3 focus areas and outcomes for remainder of day

Taking a 45-minute break is a strategic leadership tool that counters the high cortisol levels common in executive roles, which can otherwise impair memory, focus, and decision-making. This specific duration allows for deeper mental detachment than a micro-break, effectively "sharpening the axe" to ensure your next hours of work are high-impact rather than just busy.

When you visibly prioritize rest, you also give your team "permission" to do the same. This will reduce overall organizational burnout and can increase employee retention and engagement.

Physical and mental rest helps lower stress, making you more relaxed, empathetic, and compassionate. This directly improves your ability to listen and communicate effectively with your team. So, it improves your Emotional Intelligence.

Stepping away for 45 minutes activates the brain's Default Mode Network, allowing it to process information in the background and generate the "aha moments" or innovative solutions needed for complex problems.

How do you regard and prioritize through your day?

In 2026, top-performing CEOs have shifted from being "chief problem solvers" to "chief culture architects". To empower their Directors and VPs to maintain operational momentum autonomously, they focus on building high-trust systems rather than high-control processes.

How are you empowering your teams to take ownership, lead and drive initiatives without your guidance?

The goal for a CEO in 2026 is to consistently reinforce the organization's mission and long-term vision so that every VP and Director understands the "why" behind their goals, allowing them to make independent decisions aligned with the core purpose.

Establish guidelines for your VPs and Directors on which decisions require consultation and which can be made independently so they feel empowered to drive your business forward. Steer your interactions with your VPs and Directors to "thinking-focused" check-ins that examine their logic and assumptions rather than just checking in on specific project status.

How you empower your leaders will not only keep the engine running but allow you to focus on the bigger strategic future direction for your organization.