In partnership with
Welcome To The Leadership Pulse
Welcome to practical insights at the crossroads of leadership, strategy, and growth.
Every week, Dr Ikechukwu Okoh presents MBA-level frameworks, real-world stories, and timeless lessons to help you lead clearly, inspire purposefully, and execute effectively.
Let’s develop leaders who shape the future.
Great Leaders Don’t Do Everything
Most leaders don’t struggle with motivation.
They struggle with overload.
Too many meetings.
Too many emails.
Too many “urgent” requests.
Too little time for what truly moves the needle.
And the result is you spending your days reacting rather than leading.
One of the most potent tools taught in MBA programmes to address this is the Eisenhower Matrix, a simple framework that separates activity from impact.
The Eisenhower Matrix for Leaders
At its core, it answers one question:
Is this urgent, important, both, or neither?
Let’s break it down for real leadership life.
1️⃣ Urgent & Important - Do Now
These are true priorities.
• Crises
• Critical decisions
• Deadlines with real consequences
But here’s the catch:
If everything feels urgent, something is broken upstream.
Great leaders aim to reduce this box over time.
2️⃣ Important but Not Urgent - Schedule
This is where outstanding leadership lives.
• Strategy
• Skill development
• Relationship building
• Health and reflection
• Long-term planning
These don’t shout for attention, but they shape your future.
Neglect this box long enough, and it becomes a crisis.
3️⃣ Urgent but Not Important - Delegate
These are distractions dressed as priorities.
• Interruptions
• Many meetings
• Some emails and requests
Strong leaders don’t do everything themselves.
They build systems and empower people.
4️⃣ Neither Urgent nor Important - Eliminate
These quietly steal your time.
• Mindless scrolling
• Busywork
• Low-value habits
Leadership maturity includes knowing what to stop doing.
AI in HR? It’s happening now.
Deel's free 2026 trends report cuts through all the hype and lays out what HR teams can really expect in 2026. You’ll learn about the shifts happening now, the skill gaps you can't ignore, and resilience strategies that aren't just buzzwords. Plus you’ll get a practical toolkit that helps you implement it all without another costly and time-consuming transformation project.
This Week’s Leadership Challenge
For the next two days:
Write down everything you do.
Then place each task into one of the four boxes.
Ask yourself:
Am I spending enough time in “Important but Not Urgent”?
What can I delegate or eliminate immediately?
Small shifts here create massive impact.
Leadership Pulse Add-Ons
Reply with one thing you’ll stop doing this week to create space for what matters.
Would you like the following framework on:
A) SWOT for career growth
B) Porter’s Five Forces for personal strategy
C) The 7S Model for team alignment
Reply with A, B, or C.
Being busy can make you feel productive.
But impact comes from intentional focus.
Great leaders don’t do more.
They do what matters.
Sponsored
Taxation Intel
Tax Solutions for Entrepreneurs
Dr Ikechukwu Okoh
Dr Ikechukwu Okoh is a healthcare leader, executive coach, angel investor, and Group Head at Boulevard Group.
He blends clinical experience, business strategy, and systems thinking to help leaders and organisations grow with clarity and impact.
He publishes the Leadership Pulse newsletter and hosts the Fireplace Conversations podcast.
If you enjoyed this week’s Leadership Pulse, all previous editions are available.
