How Your Relationship with Time Shapes Your Leadership

In this short but powerful episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I’m sharing a concept that’s brand new to me, one that’s genuinely shifted how I think about time, productivity, and leadership.

It originates from the world of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and explores the idea that people relate to time in fundamentally different ways; as either “in time” or “through time” thinkers.

You’ll discover:

• What these two styles look like in everyday life.
• Why some people thrive on planning, and others feel suffocated by it.
• How understanding this can radically shift how you lead your team.

This fresh insight isn’t about putting people in boxes.

It’s about awareness, knowing that we all perceive and process time differently, and how that difference can be a hidden source of friction… or a powerful leadership advantage.

For the First Time Ever: Join My Open Leadership Programme

For the first time ever, I’m opening up one of my most practical and impactful leadership programmes to the public.

Normally, I only deliver this training inside organisations, but due to repeated requests from smaller businesses and individual leaders, I’m creating a brand-new open cohort.

Here’s what’s included:

• 4 x half-day interactive workshops
• 1-hour Learning Transfer Session
• Small group format (max 18 delegates)
• Indicative cost: £540–£600 (VAT included), with payment plans for self-funders

This is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to access the same training I usually deliver privately to companies.

I’ll only run it if I get 30+ expressions of interest.

Register your interest here.

Podcast Transcript 

After years of working with different leadership frameworks and productivity tools, I’ve recently learned something new that has totally shifted how I view time. 

It’s a concept from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, that up to now I’d completely missed. And it’s about how different people perceive time. 

So, to today’s episode of The Leaders Kitbag. I’ll talk to you about the concept of in time and through time. 

Some people are what we call in-time people. They experience time very immersively. If you ask them to point to the past, they’re likely to point behind them. They see the future in front of them, but not necessarily laid out in a linear, structured, ordered fashion. 

And then there are other people, I fall into this category, who are more of what we call a through-time person. If you ask a through-time person to point to the past, they’re generally going to point to the left. They see time laid out in front of them, often going from left to right on a timeline. They enjoy and thrive in a very structured environment and tend to be good at planning and long-term thinking. 

Now, for me, the key point here is just to understand that these differences exist. One isn’t better than the other; one isn’t inherently good and the other bad. 

It really is about understanding that different people have different mental wiring when it comes to time and time management. When you understand this, you can be more empathetic towards other people’s approach to time and time management. 

That’s why some people absolutely love planning, and some people appear to absolutely hate it. And as leaders, we can really start to get the best from our team when we understand this. 

As I said, through-time people tend to thrive and be energised by long-term planning, building plans and strategy, and long-term thinking. 

Whereas in-time people, those who see and experience time much more emmersively, tend to be much more responsive and flexible. They’re good at being present and in the moment, and they tend to be energised and sometimes better at understanding other people’s emotions. 

So that’s it for today’s episode of The Leaders Kitbag, something that is brand new for me, and I’m enjoying thinking about and exploring. 

I’d love to know your thoughts on this. What are you? Are you an in-time or a through-time person? 

And how do you think you might be able to use this with your team and those around you to be an even better leader? 

As always, I hope it’s been useful. 

Remember, look after yourself and look after those you’ve got the privilege and responsibility to lead. 

Until next time, folks. 

#LeadOn.