.webp)
How often do you struggle to navigate the desire to contribute high-impact, important work for your organization, and the seemingly constant demands on your attention from email, messages, and other activities? As a voice in the battle against busyness, Juliet Funt helps organizations release their people so that they can give themselves to their most important, high-impact work. In this conversation with David Ashcraft, Juliet explains some of the mindset shifts that leaders need to undergo in order to be champions for “white space,” and to minimize unnecessary busywork in their organizations.
SUMMARY
How often do you struggle to navigate the desire to contribute high-impact, important work for your organization, and the seemingly constant demands on your attention from email, messages, and other activities? As a voice in the battle against busyness, Juliet Funt helps organizations release their people so that they can give themselves to their most important, high-impact work. In this conversation with David Ashcraft, Juliet explains some of the mindset shifts that leaders need to undergo in order to be champions for “white space,” and to minimize unnecessary busywork in their organizations.
IN THIS EPISODE
0:00 Intro
03:45 How did Juliet get into consulting?
06:15 Juliet’s basic approach to working with her clients, and their response.
09:00 Where organizations may struggle with adopting something like white space.
13:30 How does remote work impact efficiency and high-value work?
18:00 What kind of work does Juliet do with the military, and how did it come about?
28:20 Do individual attitudes about White Space change with age?
32:15 How do organizations benefit from focusing on efficiency?
39:30 What do leaders need to know about Juliet’s GLS talk?
41:30 Outro
LISTEN
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS
- The things that are great for human beings—standards, norms, ease, and skill—are the exact same things that can success for organizations.
- “Efficiency” has layers: blueprints (org charts, etc.) bricks (project plans, etc.) and mortar (human behavioral skill, norms, etc.). Most companies focus on the first two and neglect the third.
- White Space is not giving people a break to just space out or take a nap. It is liberating people from low-value work so that their minds are free to engage in high-value work.
- From COVID, to remote work, to the impact of AI, many well-intentioned leaders are stressed out and struggling to keep their heads above water. It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle: targets start to lag, so they push harder, but then the pushing negatively impacts the overall quality of work, which makes results happen more slowly, and so on and so on.
- Getting out of the cycle starts with measuring where the company is at with efficiency.
- The receptivity of the military to the concept of White Space is the number one surprise of Juliet’s career.
- White Space is not just about recuperation; it’s also about time to think strategically.
- The concept of the “work martyr” is still in our ethos but may be vanishing with the next generation of workers.
- Some generations derived satisfaction from the way they sacrificed for work, but that may be changing. Younger generations seems to have a high desire for meaning in their work.
- When you make work easy for people, they will bend over backwards to work for you.
- When work is logical, streamlined and thoughtful you have more time for strategic thinking, an increase in retention, a decrease in wasted payroll money, and more time for hard but high-value work.
- White Space does not result in more productivity; it is a by-product of a more productive workflow.
LINKS MENTIONED
- Book: (Amazon.com)
- Videl: (Juliet references this https://vimeo.com/1088687446/78c2d7681f?ts=0&share=copy )
- Website: Team365
- Website: Global Leadership Summit 2025
- Website: Global Leadership Network
Related
Ep 210: What Leaders Miss About Motivation, Purpose and Progress
In this episode, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talks with Chris McChesney, author of The 4 Disciplines of Execution, about the difference between employee satisfaction and true engagement. Chris explains why people can have what looks like an ideal job and still feel disconnected from the work, while others can serve in demanding environments and remain deeply motivated. The difference often comes down to progress and purpose.
Ep 209: Communication, Candor and Trust
In this episode, Whitney Putnam and GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talk about one of the most common leadership challenges: how to communicate with clarity, candor and care when the stakes are high. They unpack a real moment from a recent GLN all-staff meeting, where a public challenge created tension, required follow-up and ultimately helped sharpen strategy. Whitney and David explore why leaders often think they are being clear when others are hearing something different, how trust makes hard conversations possible, and why “keeping short accounts” can prevent tension from becoming toxic.
Ep 207: Leading Through Leadership Hijacks with Edgar Sandoval
In this episode, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talks with Edgar Sandoval, President and CEO of World Vision, about navigating what David calls “leadership hijacks”: unexpected events that reshape both leadership and life.
Leadership That Lasts
Team365 isn’t just a platform. It’s a commitment to grow, lead and live with purpose — every single day. Whether you’re here for content, community or clarity, you’re in the right place. Your leadership matters. Let’s keep going.
