Leading Change Under Pressure Starts With How You Use Your Time

I was recently talking with a coaching client who spent some time over the holidays reading Build a Golden Bridge. One idea, in particular, really stuck with him: the notion of taking time for yourself—regularly and intentionally—especially when you’re leading change without formal authority.

What surprised him wasn’t just the idea itself, but how much his perspective had shifted.

For a long time, he told me, he’d held a private, somewhat judgmental view of people who blocked time on their calendars for lunch, reflection, or planning. It felt indulgent. A little silly. Like something you did if you weren’t serious about your work.

But as he read my reflections on losing my cool in my project management era, he started to see a connection he hadn’t noticed before: how we schedule our days directly affects how we show up under pressure—especially when we’re navigating hard conversations, resistance, or emotionally loaded situations.

That connection matters more than we tend to admit.

Pressure Is Where the Inner Tyrant Shows Up

If you’re leading change, pressure comes with the territory. Deadlines stack up. Stakes feel high. You’re accountable for outcomes without actually being in charge of the decisions or resources.

And that’s often when what I call the inner tyrant shows up.

The inner tyrant is that part of us that tries to regain control by pushing harder. Tightening timelines. Over-preparing arguments. Rehearsing how to convince someone to see things our way. It’s not malicious. It’s protective. But under pressure, it can work against us.

What fuels the inner tyrant isn’t just external stress. It’s the lack of space. When our days are packed edge to edge, we lose the ability to notice what’s happening inside us. Stress builds. Emotions leak. Conversations get sharper, faster, and less curious.

And then we wonder why people seem resistant.

Time Isn’t a Luxury—It’s a Leadership Tool

One of the quieter ideas in Build a Golden Bridge is a reframe around time. Instead of treating unscheduled moments as indulgent or inefficient, we can learn to see them as essential, especially when our work depends on trust, influence, and collaboration.

Creating intentional space during the day isn’t about doing less. It’s about staying regulated enough to lead well when things get hard.

And this doesn’t require long retreats or perfectly protected mornings. In practice, small adjustments are often enough to make a real difference.

What Intentional Time Can Look Like in a Real Workday

Here are a few grounded examples I see working for leaders:

A pause before the day begins.
Even ten minutes in the morning to look at your calendar, identify the most important conversation of the day, and set an intention—before opening email—can change how you show up. You’re choosing your stance instead of reacting your way into it.

Movement in the middle of the day.
For years, my habit has been to get outside around lunchtime. Sometimes it’s a run. Sometimes just a walk. That physical break clears out mental clutter and helps me come back to the afternoon with more energy than if I just try to power through at my desk.

White space between meetings.
Five or ten minutes between calls can be enough. Time to jot a few notes. To notice your internal state. To close one conversation before starting the next. Those small buffers reduce the chances that pressure from one interaction spills into the next.

These aren’t luxurious blocks of time. They’re micro-adjustments. But they create breathing room—and breathing room is often what keeps the inner tyrant from taking over.

Why This Matters for Leading Change

When you’re trying to influence without authority, your internal state matters more than your arguments. People pick up on urgency, frustration, and unspoken pressure very quickly—even if they can’t quite name it.

If you don’t have space to process what you’re carrying, others will feel it.

Intentional time helps you notice when you’re slipping into control mode. It gives you a chance to loosen your grip, listen more fully, and respond rather than react. Over time, that changes the quality of your relationships—and the outcomes you’re able to create.

Leading change under pressure isn’t about eliminating stress. It’s about building the capacity to work with it.

A Question for You

If you already have a practice that’s been working—something small and sustainable that helps you stay grounded during the day—I’d love to hear about it. Or, if you’re experimenting with something new, what are you trying?

Share it in the comments. Concrete examples make it much easier for others to see how “making time” can actually work in real life.

Here’s to building better change, one intentional pause at a time.