Why Leaders Need Renewal, Not Endurance.
You can't keep running on empty. My fitness tracker reminds me to rest and recover regularly, and there's deep science behind that. Endurance may get you through a crisis, but it is not a long-term strategy. You build sustainability through pacing, rest, and renewal.
A few weeks ago, on LinkedIn, I wrote about leadership losses. Not the obvious ones like the stock crashes you see in annual reports, but the quiet and personal losses that sit heavily on an executive's shoulders. The project which ends with a hollow feeling because it didn't quite cut the mustard. The resignation of a trusted colleague that you will miss greatly. You carry a personal ache in silence, while you continue to lead, and nobody else knows.
My colleague Sandy Halpin commented, "We don't talk about the losses in leadership enough. Yet they're a real and challenging part of the path." She's right. Sandy is a wise soul. Losses take energy from us. And when we deal with them by pushing through, we tell ourselves we can endure. We compartmentalise, harden, and keep going. It works for a time, but the negative impacts continue to compound.
Sustainability asks something different of you: to notice the loss, practice self-compassion and permit yourself to absorb what has occurred. Taking time to reflect, talk with a trusted confidant, and acknowledge your feelings. As another colleague, Chris Power, adds: "If you're not making space for this, it just builds up and you're adding to the armour you think keeps you safe."
I often return to this Harvard Business Review piece I have shared before: Resilience is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure. The message is simple. Real strength in leadership does not come from pushing through losses. It comes from the practices that restore your energy and keep you connected to the humanity of your leadership.
So let me ask you: how are you tending to the losses you carry? And how are you building a sustainable rhythm that allows you to continue leading with clarity and presence?
