Time Election: The Silent Key to Smarter Leadership

After Election Time, Adrian Knowles, CEO of Harcourts Australia, reflects on Time Election

Leadership is often defined by the decisions we make, the teams we lead, and the strategies we implement. Amidst these enormous responsibilities, one overlooked yet vital factor governs the real impact of our leadership – how we elect to use our time.

Over my many years in the fast-paced real estate industry, I’ve observed a common pattern, especially among novices. Eager to prove themselves, they often confuse activity with productivity.

They fill their days with tasks that seem important in the moment, but fail to ask the critical question, Are these actions advancing the needle towards meaningful results?

This is where the idea of time election comes into play. Time election isn’t about cutting corners or squeezing in more tasks throughout the day. Rather, it’s the art of strategically focusing on activities that align with your long-term goals while eliminating distractions that dilute your impact.

For leaders, time isn’t just hours on a clock; it’s the currency of our influence, decision-making, and success. Here’s why learning to "elect your time" is not just important but essential for sustainable leadership.

Election vs. Reaction

Too many of us fall into reactive leadership. Each day, we’re inundated with emails to answer, meetings to attend, and challenges to address. While these may feel pressing, much of it isn’t progress-driven work.

By contrast, time election is proactive leadership. It’s about choosing where you invest your time, thoughts, and energy while having the discipline to defer or delegate lower-priority tasks.

The key question becomes, What will yield the greatest impact?

The best leaders don’t just do. They prioritise.

Ask yourself:

• Are you spending time where your expertise delivers the most value?

• Have you identified the activities only you can and should be doing?

• Do your daily actions reflect your business’s long-term goals?

  
  

The Burnout Mistake: Energy Without Direction

I vividly remember a talented real estate agent who joined us early in their career.

Passionate and brimming with energy, they were the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave. On the surface, they appeared unstoppable. But a few years in, they were burned out, frustrated, and confused about why their results didn’t match their efforts.

The problem? They focused on everything instead of focusing on the right things. Calls turned into chats. Meetings lacked agenda or purpose. Tangential tasks distracted from their primary goal of finding and servicing clients effectively.

Leaders, this isn’t just an agent’s problem. It’s our problem. Often, the urgent tasks (emails, repetitive requests, operational details) consume the space where strategic efforts should exist. Without targeting your activities deliberately, your energy becomes directionless.

Time Election in Action

Here’s a practical example of time election from my own career. Early on as CEO, I found my calendar dominated by meetings, many of which had no defined purpose or could’ve been handled without my involvement.

It became clear that while “busy,” I wasn’t growing the business or inspiring my teams in the way I intended.

I made two deliberate changes:

1. Defined Priorities: Each morning, I identify my “Big Three.” What are the three critical outcomes I’ll focus on that align with my wider strategic vision? These non-negotiables become my compass for the day.

2. Boundary Setting: I started delegating recurring operational tasks and declining unnecessary meetings (or reducing them to email updates). The result? More time freed for high-impact activities like developing growth strategies, mentoring leaders, or fostering relationships.

   
   

This practice didn’t just transform my own time management; it created ripple effects throughout the company. Leaders at every level started to value deliberate focus over busywork, and results soon followed.

Smarter, Not Harder

“Work smarter, not harder” has become a common refrain in our industry, but its true meaning lies in how we use time. Real strength as a leader doesn’t come from how many hours you work but from the precision with which you allocate your energy.

Mastering time election empowers you to focus on not just what fills your day, but what fulfils your goals. It’s this clarity that defines progress – the difference between managing and leading, between doing and achieving.

Reflect, Refine, Repeat

Time election isn’t a once-and-done mindset. It’s a skill you need to refine over time as new challenges, opportunities, and goals emerge. Build daily and weekly checkpoints to ask yourself:

• Are my efforts advancing what matters most?

• Am I dedicating enough time to growth activities such as innovation, strategy, and team development?

• What distractions can I delegate or eliminate altogether?

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The beauty of time election is that it creates a multiplier effect. The more intentional you become about time, the better positioned you are to lead with focus, clarity, and impact.

Leading by Example

Leadership is influence. And as a CEO, business leader, or real estate professional, your approach to time serves as a model for your teams. Are you setting the tone for working intelligently rather than idolising busyness?

Success doesn’t come from doing it all. It stems from doing the right things. When you lead with this philosophy, it not only elevates your own performance; it transforms your organisation into a culture of strategic action and purpose.

Election season might come once every few years, but time election isn’t seasonal. It’s daily, constant, and critical to business success.

As a leader, I challenge you today to ask this one question before embarking on any task or project: Is this the best use of my time?

When the answer to that question guides your actions, leadership transforms—not just for you, but for everyone under your influence.