In most advisory firms, a full calendar is treated like proof of worth. Back-to-back meetings mean you’re in demand. If you’re booked solid for weeks, you must be doing something right. Yet when you look at how effective leaders actually operate, a strange pattern emerges. The best ones are not constantly busy. They are intentionally available.
That’s the contrarian idea most advisors resist. Leadership does not live at full capacity. It lives in the space between commitments. When every hour is spoken for, judgment gets rushed, priorities blur, and the business quietly shifts from being led to being reacted to.
I learned this lesson in a way that had nothing to do with work. Years ago, Jennifer and I were helping one of our kids navigate a difficult decision late in high school. With six children, those moments come more often than you expect. I remember sitting at the kitchen table realizing that if I had been rushing off to the next thing, I would have missed it entirely. The conversation wasn’t scheduled. It didn’t fit neatly into the day. It mattered precisely because there was space for it. That moment stuck with me. The most important decisions rarely arrive on a calendar invite.
The problem in advisory firms is the belief that utilization equals productivity. Advisors assume that if their calendar isn’t full, they’re underperforming. In practice, full calendars create constant reaction mode. Emails drive the day. Meetings define priorities. Strategic thinking gets postponed because it doesn’t feel urgent, even though it’s the only thing that actually changes outcomes. Over time, leadership gives way to execution, and growth plateaus despite longer hours.
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Conventional wisdom tries to solve this with efficiency. Shorter meetings. Faster turnarounds. Tighter schedules. But efficiency without margin only increases fragility. In today’s environment, where AI can already handle prep work, scheduling, and analysis, the advisor’s value is no longer in speed. It’s in judgment, context, and the ability to see around corners. Those skills don’t function well under constant time pressure.
The better approach is what I call the 60% Rule. High-performing leaders intentionally cap their calendars at roughly sixty percent. The remaining space is not wasted time. It’s leadership infrastructure. That margin creates room for thinking, coaching, planning, and course correction. It allows advisors to respond thoughtfully instead of reflexively. It preserves presence for the moments that matter most, with clients and with the business itself.
When advisors adopt this discipline, something subtle but powerful happens. Decisions improve. Client conversations deepen. Opportunities are evaluated instead of chased. The business starts moving with intention rather than momentum alone. Growth becomes directional instead of accidental.
You can see this shift playing out everywhere. As AI accelerates execution, the scarce resource isn’t time. It’s clarity. Leaders who reserve space to think gain an advantage that can’t be replicated by a packed calendar.
Leadership does not happen at one hundred percent utilization. It happens in the margin. The advisors who protect that space gain control, resilience, and scale. The 60% Rule isn’t about doing less. It’s about making room to lead.
Lead with margin, not overload. With Financial Gravity’s Turnkey Multi-Family Office Charter, financial advisors cap the calendar, delegate execution, and keep space for judgment, coaching, and strategy. Our platform unites tax, estate, planning, and investment infrastructure under your brand so you stay present for the decisions that actually move the business. Book a call today todday to turn protected time into compounding growth.
