Great leaders possess a level of sustainable stamina that others don’t. They have a unique ability to continue to press forward in the everyday grind of life and leadership.
Sustainable Stamina
I was having a Cup of Coffee with a great leader the other day. The subject of stamina came up. I had mentioned that I thought it was one of the most undervalued attributes of a leader.
Both of us have been with the same organization for more than 25 years. You don’t last that long without some level of stamina.
The concept of stamina Stuck with me ever since. Here are a few reflections on what stamina looks like in the life of a leader:
Consistently Good
Most people can do things well…for a short period of time. Very few can do things well for long periods of time. Occasionally good is easy, consistently good is hard.
The secret to being consistently good is quality systems. Systems are a set of guardrails that keep things consistently on the road to success. They allow margins for creativity and flexibility while providing a rigid warning that things are off track.
Doing things well for a long time requires consistency. Consistency builds stamina.
Commitment to the Fundamentals
I have spent my entire adult life developing young athletes as a coach. Whether it was baseball, football, or wrestling…our teams always experienced high levels of success.
The success wasn’t because of trendy drills or gimmicky strategies. It was the commitment to the fundamentals. Stubbornly pursing the basics…over, and over, and over again. It required extreme discipline to remain committed to the mundane.
Fundamentals weren’t flashy, but they were the foundation for our sustained success. As the grind of the season wore on, our teams got better.
Fundamentals are essential to building stamina in life and leadership. It requires discipline to commit to the small things that sustain success over the long haul.
Gaining Grit
The people I admire most in life and leadership are Gritty. As many times as life or leadership has knocked them down, they continue to get back up.
Grit is a characteristic that is built over time. It requires regular exposure to the things that should break a person. Despite their circumstances, these people continue to press forward. In the face of discouragement, disappointment, or devastation there simply is no quit in them.
We significantly underestimate what the average person walks through in life and leadership. Every great leader has fought, is fighting, or will fight battles no one else sees.
Grit builds stamina. Gaining grit is critically important to being able to do things for the long haul.
Conclusion
Stamina is the ability to continue to show up in life and leadership. Not just on the good days, but the bad ones as well. It requires consistency, solid fundamentals, and grit.
Leading others, whether its life or leadership, is no easy task. Trying to do it well for long periods of time can seem impossible at times.
Here is what I know about great leaders that possess stamina. When exhaustion builds, they simply find a way. They reach deep and find a way to save the day, again and again.
Stamina has staying power. It sustains.
