Why Endurance Matters More Than Enthusiasm in Leadership
A few years ago, I was working with a senior leadership team during what had already been an incredibly difficult year for the organisation.
There had been constant change, shifting priorities, and more pressure than anyone had expected at the beginning of the year. By the time we came together for the offsite, the exhaustion in the room was obvious before anyone had even spoken.
Some leaders arrived still trying to solve problems in real time and pushing hard to stay ahead of the next issue before the conversation on the table was complete. Others had become quieter and more measured. A few openly admitted they were questioning whether they still had the energy for another difficult quarter.
What stood out to me was how different people were carrying the pressure.
As the conversation unfolded, one of the executives said something that shifted the tone of the room completely.
“I always thought resilience meant pushing harder, y’know, soldiering through discomfort and exhaustion” he said. “But I’m starting to think resilience might actually mean knowing how to keep going without running yourself into the ground.”
The room went quiet. I think many people recognised themselves in that statement.
We often talk about resilience as though it’s purely about endurance. Keep pushing. Stay strong. Work harder than everyone else.
For short periods of time, many leaders can operate that way. Pressure can sharpen focus and create momentum. The problem is that leadership rarely lasts for a short period of time.
Leadership unfolds across years of uncertainty, setbacks, responsibility, and change. The challenge for senior leaders is sustaining clarity, judgement, and energy while carrying ongoing pressure.
Once the team started speaking honestly about what was no longer working, the conversation became far more practical. Several leaders admitted they had slipped into survival mode. Their days had become reactive. Meetings filled every available space in the calendar. Decision fatigue was high. Recovery time had disappeared completely.
Over the following months, they started making deliberate changes.
A few became far more disciplined about protecting thinking time in their calendars instead of filling every hour with meetings. One executive started leaving work earlier two nights a week after realising he had not exercised consistently in months. Another leader became more intentional about delegation after recognising she had slowly become the bottleneck for her team.
The leadership team also changed the way they worked together. They created more space for honest conversations about workload, decision-making, and priorities. They started paying closer attention to sustainability and effectiveness instead of rewarding whoever looked busiest.
Collectively they shifted the energy of the team. People started leading with more clarity and conversations became less reactive. No surprise, decision-making also improved and there was more patience in the room.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that when leaders stay connected to the bigger picture, they often find a greater capacity to continue through difficult periods because the work still feels meaningful to them.
Not every season of leadership feels inspiring. Sometimes leadership feels repetitive, uncertain, or emotionally draining. Sometimes progress feels slow and the results take far longer to appear than expected. The leaders who sustain momentum over time are often the ones willing to continue doing the consistent work leadership requires long after the novelty has disappeared.
That conversation from the offsite has stayed with me because I think many leaders are quietly reassessing their relationship with resilience. They are recognising that leadership endurance comes from maintaining perspective, protecting energy, staying connected to purpose, and continuing forward without losing yourself in the process.
