Tips & Tools for Small to Mid-Sized Business Owners & Leaders April 2026 The Inspire Results newsletter is published monthly
Are You Spending More Time on Leadership Work—or Reaction Work?
If you’re like most small‑business owners, your days are full… but not always full of the right things. You start the morning with a plan, and by 9:15 it’s already blown apart by questions, fires, interruptions, and the never‑ending stream of "quick" issues only you can solve. By the end of the day, you’ve been busy—exhausted, even—but you haven’t moved the business forward in the way you intended.
This is the trap of reaction work: the urgent, noisy, in‑your‑face tasks that demand attention but don’t create long‑term growth. And when reaction work dominates your schedule, leadership work—the strategic, proactive, future‑shaping work—gets pushed to the margins.
The problem isn’t that reaction work exists. It always will. The problem is when it becomes your default operating mode.
Richard Koch, author of The 80/20 Manager, puts it simply: "Most of what we do is not essential. Only a few things are exceptionally valuable." Leadership work is where those exceptionally valuable things live.
So the question is: Are you spending your time where it matters most?
Even a 10% Increase in Time Spent on Leadership Work Makes a Big Difference
Read here the Step‑by‑Step Process to Spend More Time on Leadership Work
Upcoming Events
Growth Plan Workshop
Indianapolis, IN June 25, 2026 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST
Discover the potential in your business by completing your Single Sheet Business Plan.
Define your vision and long-range goals. Then break them into quarterly, monthly, weekly & daily goals and get a line-of-sight from your daily tasks to your 10-30 year purpose.
Step out of the day-to-day for just 1 day, get organized, complete a prescribed planning process, and walk away with an action plan that leads to greater profits and free time back.
For owners & leaders of small to medium sized businesses. Bring your 2nd-in-command or your whole leadership team!
Join Milestone - This interactive workshop brings together financial, HR, operational, and legal experts to provide a comprehensive roadmap for transactionreadiness. You will learn how to proactively prepare your business, maximize enterprise value, and avoid the common pitfalls that derail transactions.
Use the promo code "EXITREADY" for a 100% discount!
After an extraordinary 33-year career with the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI)—including 27 years as CEO—Steve Lains has embarked on a new chapter helping leaders and organizations grow.
He led BAGI’s 500+ member organization through major market shifts, from early-2000s expansion to the 2008 housing crisis and recent record demand, while strengthening its voice in housing advocacy and professional development. His success in navigating economic cycles, improving operations, and building strong teams now fuels his work as a coach and mentor.
Drawing on decades of experience across industries, Steve helps business owners, executives, and emerging leaders identify opportunities, overcome challenges, and achieve sustainable growth. His mission is simple: help people lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Help business owners who need us, find us. Connect us and get $1k! Make an e-intro to Brad@InspireResults.com with the biz owner's name, company name, & email address. We'll do the rest. If they become an Inspire Results client, we'll give you up to $1k after 90-days!
