Episodes

  • How to Stay Organized as a Leader: The System Nobody Teaches

    How to Stay Organized as a Leader: The System Nobody Teaches
    Oct 19 2026
    How to Stay Organized as a Leader: The System Nobody Teaches You have a system for managing your tasks. You're tracking your projects. Maybe you've even organized your inbox, calendar, and information. But what about managing the actual work of being a leader? Employee development. One-on-one meetings. Coaching conversations. Feedback. Follow-ups. Supporting your team. Building relationships. Making decisions. These responsibilities are some of the most important parts of leadership, yet they're often the least organized. And when you're busy managing everything else, it's surprisingly easy for them to fall through the cracks. We spend a lot of time teaching people how to lead, but very little time teaching them how to manage the work of leading. In this episode of the Get Organized at Work Podcast, we're exploring Leadership Management, the fourth of five core systems in the Leadership Operating System (LOS). We'll discuss why even highly capable leaders struggle to keep up with their leadership responsibilities, why traditional task and project management systems aren't enough, and how to create a practical system that helps you lead more intentionally. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why leadership management deserves its own system: Understand the difference between managing tasks, managing projects, and managing the ongoing responsibilities of leadership.What belongs in your Leadership Management System: From employee development and coaching conversations to feedback, important decisions, and relationship management.Why important leadership responsibilities get overlooked: Explore how reactive work and competing priorities can crowd out the activities that make the biggest difference for your team.How to organize the people side of leadership: Learn how to maintain visibility into the needs of your employees and team without turning meaningful relationships into another checklist.How to lead more intentionally: Discover how a structured approach can help you follow through, support employee growth, and spend more time on proactive leadership. Your Leadership Operating System Leadership Management is just one of five interconnected systems that help you stay organized and effective as a leader: Information ManagementProject ManagementTask ManagementLeadership ManagementStrategic Planning When these systems work together, you can spend less time reacting to everything happening around you and more time leading with intention. Because being a great leader isn't just about knowing what to do. It's about having a system that helps you consistently do it. Ready to Get Organized at Work? 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit Discover where your current leadership systems are working, where you might be operating reactively, and which areas could benefit from improvement. 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals Connect with other leaders who are working to become more organized, intentional, and effective. Explore practical resources, templates, and strategies to help you build your own Leadership Operating System. -- ⭐ If this episode was helpful...🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resources: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklistGrab your Weekly Dashboard Reset and start using this system today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/weeklydashboard -- GET THE FULL SYSTEM: 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Task Management: Why To Do Lists are Failing Leaders

    Task Management: Why To Do Lists are Failing Leaders
    Oct 12 2026
    Task Management: Why To-Do Lists Failing Leaders

    Why do to-do lists fail leaders? A task list can capture everything you need to do, but it can’t prioritize your work, track a project, or keep delegated tasks moving on its own.

    In this episode of Get Organized at Work, Kayla explains how to build a more useful task management system.

    Learn how to:

    • Capture and sort tasks
    • Choose clear next actions
    • Connect tasks to active projects
    • Make ownership and follow-up visible

    You’ll also hear how a simple weekly review can help you get out of reaction mode and focus on the work that matters.

    If your to-do list keeps growing but your important work still feels hard to manage, this episode will help you rethink how you organize tasks and projects as a leader.

    🧠 Download my free Simple Task System Template to organize your work in one place → https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist

    📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate

    🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work: Next week, Kayla is breaking down a system no one teaches or trains on - Leadership Management. You won't want to miss it!

    Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series.

    🎁 Resources Mentioned

    📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit

    🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals

    ⭐ If this episode was helpful...

    If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most.

    Continue Your Leadership Journey:

    🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist

    📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate

    🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas

    Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI

    📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards

    🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178

    🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc

    🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y

    🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Project Management for Leaders: Always Know What's Happening

    Project Management for Leaders: Always Know What's Happening
    Oct 5 2026
    Project Management for Leaders: Always Know What's Happening Project work gets hard to lead when the status, decisions, owners, and next steps are scattered across meetings, messages, and your memory. In this episode, Kayla breaks down a simple project management system to help you see what’s happening and keep work moving. You’ll learn how to distinguish projects from tasks, what information to track for each active project, how to partner with a project manager without handing over your role as project owner, and how a regular review can help you spot blockers and support your team. If a project needs coordination support and no project manager has been assigned, Kayla also suggests asking what support may be available. In this episode: Why project information can’t live only in your head The difference between a project and a task What to track so you can quickly see project status The project manager’s role—and what remains with the project owner When to ask for project management support How a regular review helps spot blockers and clarify next steps Missed this round of the Leadership Cohort? Join the waitlist for our January 2027 Cohort: Kayla’s Leadership Operating System cohort starts tomorrow! She’s excited to begin building practical leadership systems with this founding group. Want to join a future cohort? Enrollment is expected to open in mid-December. Join the January Leadership Operating System cohort waitlist: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/waitlistjan27livecohort 🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work Next week, Kayla is sharing why to-do lists fail leaders and how to create systems that actually help you prioritize your work. 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Keywords: project management, project management for leaders, managing projects, project owner, project manager vs project owner, project roles and responsibilities, project planning, project coordination, keeping projects on rack, project status tracking, stakeholder management, team alignment, delegation and accountability, leadership skills, work management, leadership operating system Get Organized at Work, Kayla Fahey-Ahrndt
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • 100,000 Downloads 🎉The 5 Systems Every Leader Needs Workshop Replay

    100,000 Downloads 🎉The 5 Systems Every Leader Needs Workshop Replay
    Oct 1 2026
    Get Organized at Work Podcast has now reached over 100,000 downloads! 🎉 I’m still wrapping my head around that number. Every download represents someone choosing to spend time with an idea, a conversation, or a tool that might help them feel more organized and lead with greater clarity. Thank you for listening, sharing episodes, and being part of this community. There’s another reason this milestone feels special. Around this time last year, I was leading a live membership cohort and teaching what I called the COGS of Leadership. I was showing how tools like Microsoft Teams and OneNote could support different parts of a leader’s work: communication, information, and the systems that help everything move forward. Looking back, I can see the early shape of what I’m building now: the Leadership Operating System. This idea has been taking form over months of conversations, teaching, experimenting, and noticing what leaders actually need. It feels pretty wild to see how far the work has come—and to know there are more than 100,000 downloads behind it. Thank you for being here. I’m celebrating this one. 🩵 -- The 5 Systems Every Leader Needs Workshop Replay Registration is OPEN NOW until 11:59PM Central on 10/4/26 for the Leadership Operating System Live Cohort! ➡️All details are here: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/livecohort Feeling pulled in too many directions, reacting all day, or trying to keep too much in your head? In this workshop, I introduce the Leadership Operating System: a practical way to bring more clarity, structure, and follow-through to your work as a leader. ' You’ll learn how to think about the systems that support your leadership, identify where your current approach is getting stuck, and choose practical changes that can help you lead with greater focus and intention. This workshop is for leaders who want to manage priorities, information, and everyday responsibilities with more confidence—without relying on memory or constantly starting over. Want support putting your Leadership Operating System into practice? The 8-week Leadership Operating System Cohort begins the week of October 5, 2026. You’ll get live workshops, replays, a Leadership Operating Manual, practical templates, weekly practice, and a private cohort community. ➡️Register for the Founding Cohort here and sign up today: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/livecohort -- 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Keywords Leadership operating system, leadership systems, leadership productivity, leadership organization, executive productivity, manager productivity, leadership development, leadership workflow, project management for leaders, task management for managers, strategic planning for leaders, information management, leadership time management, overwhelmed leaders, leadership mental load, productivity for managers, leadership effectiveness, management systems, how to stay organized at work, how to manage multiple projects, how to stop reacting at work, leadership planning, leadership tools, leadership operating system cohort, Get Organized at Work podcast
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • Build Your Leadership Operating System With Me

    Build Your Leadership Operating System With Me
    Sep 28 2026
    Build Your Leadership Operating System With Me You don’t need another productivity hack. You need a leadership system that can actually support the complexity of your role. In this episode of Get Organized at Work, we’re taking the next step in the Leadership Operating System series and talking about what it looks like to intentionally build the systems underneath the way you lead. If you’ve ever felt like you’re the person holding everything together — remembering the details, tracking projects, following up on commitments, finding information, managing priorities, and trying to stay strategic at the same time — this episode is for you. You’ll learn why successful leaders often outgrow the systems that used to work for them, how disconnected tools and processes create unnecessary mental load, and what changes when your leadership systems actually work together. We’ll also talk about the difference between learning about better systems and actually implementing them — and why building a Leadership Operating System can help you create more clarity, consistency, visibility, and space to lead. And if you’re ready to build yours with support, enrollment is now open for the Leadership Operating System Founding Cohort, an eight-week live experience designed to help you create a practical operating system for your real leadership role. ➡️*Learn more about the Founding Live Cohort here:* https://www.kfaconsulting.org/livecohort In this episode, we cover: what a Leadership Operating System actually doeswhy leadership complexity requires better systemshow to reduce mental load and stop keeping everything in your headhow to connect task management, project management, strategic planning, information management, and leadership workflowswhy successful leaders still get stuck in reaction modewhat it means to build systems that grow with your rolehow the Leadership Operating System Founding Cohort works If your responsibilities have grown but your systems haven’t grown with them, this may be the conversation you’ve been waiting for. ✅Ready to build your Leadership Operating System? ➡️Learn more about the Founding Cohort here and sign up today: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/livecohort -- ✨ Free Live Workshop: Build Your Leadership Operating System If you’re ready to stop letting your inbox, meetings, and everyone else’s requests determine your priorities, join Kayla for the free Build Your Leadership Operating System workshop on Tuesday, September 29 at 5 p.m. Central. Join me on September 29 for my free live workshop, Build Your Leadership Operating System. You’ll discover how five essential systems—information management, project management, task management, leadership management, and strategic planning—work together to create more clarity, consistency, and proactive leadership. 👉 Save your seat: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/build-your-leadership-operating-system-workshop 🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work And next week, we're going right back into the Leadership Operating System and getting extremely practical. We're talking about project management—and how to always know what's happening without becoming the person who has to chase everyone for updates. --- 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Keywords Leadership operating...
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
  • What is a Leadership Operating System?

    What is a Leadership Operating System?
    Sep 21 2026
    What is a Leadership Operating System? You have a calendar, task list, meeting notes, project plans, email, Teams, OneNote, Planner, spreadsheets—and approximately 73 browser tabs open. You have tools. So why does it still feel like you are personally holding everything together? In this episode of Get Organized at Work, Kayla answers the question: What is a Leadership Operating System? A Leadership Operating System is the connected set of tools, practices, and rhythms you use to manage your work as a leader. It helps you organize information, create project visibility, turn commitments into action, direct your leadership attention, and consistently step back to plan. Without an intentional operating system, the leader becomes the system. You become the person who remembers, follows up, finds the information, checks every project, reconnects the pieces, and notices when something is about to fall through the cracks. You’ll learn: Why having productivity tools is not the same as having a system How leaders accidentally become the integration layer for their organizations The five essential systems within a Leadership Operating System How information, projects, tasks, leadership responsibilities, and strategic priorities connect Why another app will not solve a leadership-infrastructure problem How systems create more flexibility—not rigidity Why a sustainable system must work on a normal, messy Tuesday How stronger systems help you carry less without caring less The signs that your personal capability is compensating for missing infrastructure Kayla also shares findings from her Leadership Operating System Audit. Of the 42 leaders who completed it: 35 of 42 rated themselves a one or two when asked whether they consistently step back to plan instead of only reacting. 30 of 42 rated themselves a one or two on project visibility. 27 of 42 rated themselves a one or two on knowing who and what needs their leadership attention. This is not a motivation problem. It is a system gap. THE FIVE LEADERSHIP SYSTEMS A complete Leadership Operating System includes: Information Management: Where does the information I need live? Project Management: What is happening across the work? Task Management: What needs to be done, by whom, and when? Leadership Management: Who and what needs my leadership attention? Strategic Planning: Where are we going, and are our current actions taking us there? You do not need another disconnected productivity hack. You need a way to operate. ✨ Free Live Workshop: Build Your Leadership Operating System If you’re ready to stop letting your inbox, meetings, and everyone else’s requests determine your priorities, join Kayla for the free Build Your Leadership Operating System workshop on Tuesday, September 29 at 5 p.m. Central. Join me on September 29 for my free live workshop, Build Your Leadership Operating System. You’ll discover how five essential systems—information management, project management, task management, leadership management, and strategic planning—work together to create more clarity, consistency, and proactive leadership. 👉 Save your seat: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/build-your-leadership-operating-system-workshop 🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work Next week, Kayla is sharing how you can Build Your Leadership Operating System With Me. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the new Leadership Operating System Founding Cohort, an eight-week live experience designed to help leaders build the systems explored throughout this podcast series. --- 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://...
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Why Great Leaders Still Get Stuck in Reaction Mode

    Why Great Leaders Still Get Stuck in Reaction Mode
    Sep 14 2026
    Why Great Leaders Still Get Stuck in Reaction Mode Great leaders don’t get stuck in reaction mode because they’re incapable of planning. They get stuck because they’re exceptionally good at responding. They’re helpful, decisive, dependable, and trusted to solve complicated problems. But when you become known as the person who can handle anything, eventually everything gets handed to you. In this episode of Get Organized at Work, Kayla explores why even highly capable leaders struggle to step back, plan, and move strategic priorities forward. The data confirms just how widespread this problem is: in Kayla’s Leadership Operating System Audit, 35 of 42 leaders—more than 83%—rated themselves a one or two out of five when asked whether they consistently step back to plan and review their goals instead of only reacting. Not one person selected a five. This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a leadership-system problem. You’ll learn: Why reaction mode can feel like excellent leadershipHow competence, helpfulness, and responsiveness can become leadership trapsWhy urgent work consistently defeats important strategic workHow leaders become caught in the “hero loop”Why planning can feel irresponsible when everyone around you is busyHow reactive work can become a form of productive procrastinationWhat happens when urgency becomes your operating systemWhy strategic planning is part of your job—not a reward you earn after finishing everything elseHow to identify the projects, processes, and systems you’re repeatedly too busy to buildSimple ways to begin protecting the pause and leading more proactively Your ability to handle anything does not mean you should personally handle everything. Your job as a leader isn’t only to solve today’s problems. It’s also to build the clarity, capability, direction, and systems that shape what happens tomorrow. ✨ Free Live Workshop: Build Your Leadership Operating System If you’re ready to stop letting your inbox, meetings, and everyone else’s requests determine your priorities, join Kayla for the free Build Your Leadership Operating System workshop on Tuesday, September 29 at 5 p.m. Central. Join me on September 29 for my free live workshop, Build Your Leadership Operating System. You’ll discover how five essential systems—information management, project management, task management, leadership management, and strategic planning—work together to create more clarity, consistency, and proactive leadership. 👉 Save your seat: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/build-your-leadership-operating-system-workshop 🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work Next week, we’re bringing this entire series together and answering the question: What Is a Leadership Operating System? You’ll learn why leaders can have calendars, task lists, meeting notes, project plans, and dozens of productivity tools—and still feel like they’re holding everything together manually. Follow Get Organized at Work so you don’t miss it. --- 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Keywords: reaction mode, reactive leadership, proactive leadership, strategic planning, leadership operating system, leadership systems, time management for leaders, leadership productivity, manager productivity, overwhelmed leaders, leadership burnout, strategic ...
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Stop Hunting for Information: The System Every Leader Needs

    Stop Hunting for Information: The System Every Leader Needs
    Sep 7 2026
    Stop Hunting for Information: The System Every Leader Needs Have you ever searched your email, Teams messages, meeting notes, shared folders, and old attachments for information you know exists—but cannot reliably find? That is not just an annoying organization problem. It is an information-management problem—and it may be turning you into the human search engine for your entire team. In this episode of Get Organized at Work, Kayla shares a real example from preparing to be out of office: reconstructing a complex project from two years of emails, documents, meetings, and decisions because the knowledge was captured during the work—but not preserved in a way that made the process easy to repeat. Email preserved the evidence. It did not preserve the system. You’ll learn: Why saving information is not the same as managing itThe hidden cost of searching for files and reconstructing contextHow capable leaders accidentally become the integration layer for their teamsThe difference between communication, documentation, information, projects, and actionsWhy putting everything in one app is not the answerHow the “vacation test” reveals weaknesses in your information systemWhy every type of information needs a reliable home and defined purposeHow better information management supports delegation, decision-making, focus, and proactive leadership Your information-management system should not depend on your memory, availability, or ability to reconnect every piece. It should help the right people find, understand, and use the right information—without always needing you. 🎙️ Next week on Get Organized at Work Next week, we’re talking about Why Great Leaders Still Get Stuck in Reaction Mode—why reacting can feel so productive and responsible, what it costs you, and how to create the space to pause, plan, and operate proactively. ✨ Free Live Workshop: Build Your Leadership Operating System If this episode hits home, join me on September 29 for my free live workshop, Build Your Leadership Operating System. We'll explore why successful leaders become increasingly reactive as complexity grows, the five systems behind the way you lead, and how to start building a Leadership Operating System you trust. 👉 Save your seat: https://www.kfaconsulting.org/build-your-leadership-operating-system-workshop 🎁 Resources Mentioned 📋 Take the FREE Leadership Operating System Audit 🌱 Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals 🎙️ Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode in this Leadership Operating System series. ⭐ If this episode was helpful... If you enjoyed today's conversation, I'd be so grateful if you would subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode with another leader. It helps more people discover the show and build systems that create more capacity for what matters most. Continue Your Leadership Journey: 🎯 Free Resource: Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist 📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate 🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI 📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards 🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178 🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc 🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y 🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o Keywords: information management, leadership operating system, knowledge management, digital organization, workplace organization, leadership productivity, management systems, project management, task management, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Teams, email organization, documentation, delegation, leadership systems, team communication, decision-making, proactive leadership, organizational knowledge, how to find information at work
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins