My dad traveled quite a bit for work.
Before a trip, he’d lay everything he thought he needed across the bed.
Clothes. Shoes. Toiletries. Everything he might possibly need while he was away.
Then, once he was convinced he’d thought of everything, he’d do something that always amused me.
He’d put half of it back.
That, according to Dad, was the secret to packing.
I’ve been thinking about his strategy as we head into the final quarter of the year.
Because when we’re preparing for what’s next, our instinct is usually to ask:
What do I need to add?
Another priority.
Another goal.
Another system.
Another initiative.
Another responsibility.
But perhaps preparing for what’s next should begin with a different question:
What am I already carrying that doesn’t need to come with me?
Growth Has a Way of Adding Things
Businesses rarely become complicated all at once.
They accumulate complexity.
A meeting gets created to solve a particular problem.
A process gets developed for the way the business operated at the time.
A leader steps into a client relationship because it needs attention.
Someone begins producing a report because someone asked for it.
A decision gets escalated because, once upon a time, the leader really did need to make it.
And then we keep doing those things.
The original reason may disappear.
The organization changes.
People develop.
Technology improves.
Priorities shift.
But the meeting remains on Tuesday at 10:00.
The report still gets produced.
The decision still comes to you.
And the suitcase gets a little heavier.
What Got You Here Doesn’t All Need to Go There
There’s an interesting challenge that comes with success.
Some of the things we eventually need to let go of aren’t things we’re bad at.
They’re things we’re very good at.
That’s precisely why they’re hard to release.
- Maybe you’re the person who can solve the complicated client problem faster than anyone else.
- Maybe you’re particularly good at reviewing the work.
- Maybe everyone trusts you to make a certain decision.
- Maybe you built the process yourself and know every detail.
Those capabilities may have helped build the business.
But growth changes the question.
It’s no longer simply:
Can I do this well?
It’s also:
Am I still the right person to be doing it?
Those are very different questions.
Capacity Isn’t an Empty Calendar
I’ve written a lot this year about capacity.
But capacity isn’t about creating an empty calendar or doing less for the sake of doing less.
It’s about creating room for what matters next.
- Room to think strategically.
- Room to develop people.
- Room to pursue new opportunities.
- Room to deepen client relationships.
- Room to notice what’s changing.
- Room to lead.
If every bit of that capacity is already occupied by responsibilities you’ve accumulated over the years, something eventually has to give.
And sometimes the answer isn’t figuring out how to carry everything more efficiently.
It’s putting something down.
Three Questions Before the Next Season
Before heading into a new quarter—or any new season of growth—take inventory.
Ask yourself:
What must remain mine?
Some responsibilities genuinely require your experience, authority, relationships, or perspective.
Keep those.
What could someone else own?
Not merely help with.
Own.
This is where developing other people creates capacity for both of you.
What no longer needs to be done at all?
This may be the most overlooked question.
We tend to delegate before we eliminate.
But passing unnecessary work to someone else doesn’t make it more necessary.
Sometimes the right answer is simply to stop.
Build for What Comes Next
Throughout September, we’ve been exploring what it means to build for what’s next.
We started by asking what happens when too much of the business lives in one person’s head.
Then we looked at clarity and ownership.
We explored whether meetings actually move work forward.
And last week, we considered how what leaders consistently notice and reinforce shapes what grows.
All of those conversations lead here.
Because building for what’s next isn’t simply about adding better systems, new behaviors, or additional capabilities.
It’s also about deciding what we’re no longer going to carry.
My dad figured that out with a suitcase.
Maybe there’s a lesson in there for the rest of us.
Before you pack everything you’ve accumulated into the next season, lay it out.
Look at it.
Then ask:
What still belongs?
What could someone else carry?
What can I finally put back?
You don’t have to carry everything that got you here into where you’re going next.
And making that choice might be exactly what creates room for what comes next.