By Ellen Liptrot, Atkinson HR
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“Can you find time for me to meet with [insert name of fellow leader, team member, funder, trustee, or stakeholder] this week?”
“Can you arrange for me to meet with [your chief exec] at 11am tomorrow?”
These were the kinds of messages I received daily as an executive assistant supporting chief executives in the charity sector.
Often, I’d just spent hours perfecting a diary already packed with meetings, strategy sessions, funder calls, and team one-to-ones – and then another request would ping through.
If I do say so myself, I became quite skilled at diary Tetris: moving one meeting forward thirty minutes, gently pushing another back a day, and politely insisting that no, I would not book a meeting during the chief exec’s lunch break.
But what struck me most wasn’t the logistical challenge, it was what those diaries revealed about leadership that few people talk about. Your calendar tells the truth about what you really prioritise. And, whether you realise it or not, your team is paying attention.
Here’s what I learned supporting leaders: teams don’t do what you say, they do what you do.
When a chief exec repeatedly cancels one-to-ones with their direct reports but never misses an external funder meeting, the message is clear – external relationships matter more than internal ones.
When leaders arrive at meetings visibly exhausted, no amount of wellbeing talk will convince their teams to set boundaries. The reality says otherwise: being busy equals value, rest equals weakness. Over time, burnout becomes embedded as part of the culture.
And then there’s the silent message sent by delay. When teams are asked to prioritise an urgent report or funding bid – only for it to sit in the leader’s inbox for days – the disconnect between words and action is obvious. If it’s not important enough for you to review promptly, why was it so urgent for everyone else?
What good practice looks like
The most effective leaders I’ve supported were deeply intentional about how they used their time. When asked to fit in another meeting, they’d pause before agreeing: “I could, but it would mean moving my one-to-one with [team member]. Is this more important?” That awareness alone sets a powerful cultural tone.
One leader I worked with protected Wednesday afternoons for strategy and reflection – every week, without fail. Their consistency gave others permission to do the same, creating a ripple effect across the organisation.
Other effective practices include:
- Limiting meetings: capping at four substantial meetings a day, leaving space to think, reflect, and prepare.
- Delegating with intent: before accepting a request, asking: “Could this be handled by my [head of operations]?” builds trust and capability across teams.
- Using the future-calendar test: scheduling non-urgent requests weeks ahead helps clarify priorities, often revealing that delegation or deferral is the best choice.
- Protecting wellbeing: blocking out breaks, reflection time, and annual leave with the same commitment as external meetings sends a visible signal of balance and boundaries.
The message you’re really sending
Every diary choice is a cultural signal. Leaders who champion innovation but fill every minute with meetings leave no space for creativity. Those who promote “people-first” values but routinely cancel team sessions demonstrate the opposite in action.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: your team already knows your real values. They’re reading them every time they look at your diary, see a meeting cancelled, or receive a late-night email. The loudest thing you never say is how you spend your time.
In the charity sector, where competing priorities and limited resources are part of the landscape, no leader will get this balance perfect. But the real question is: what culture are you creating through your calendar?
Aligning your time with your values
Now that I work with charity leaders through Atkinson HR Consulting, I often reflect on those diary management days. The patterns I saw then – overcommitment, misalignment, and hidden cultural messages – are exactly the challenges we now help leadership teams to address.
We support values-led organisations to bridge the gap between intention and impact: aligning leadership behaviours, people practices, and organisational culture with the values they stand for.
Because authentic, values-led leadership isn’t about perfectly managed diaries. It’s about the integrity between what you say and what you do, one decision at a time.
And sometimes, that starts with simply asking yourself: what story is my calendar telling today?
If you would like to learn more about how Atkinson HR can support your organisation, please check the website.