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Success can blind you to failure.
The moment you think you've mastered leadership is exactly when everything starts falling apart. I didn't learn this in a boardroom. I learned it during mile six of a ten-mile run—when everything felt fine, but everything was actually breaking down.
The Unexpected Teacher
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was introduced to running during a virtual hobby share at work. My team's passion for it caught me at the right time. My doctor had just told me I needed to make changes—diet, exercise, something.
But it wasn't a lecture that moved me to action. It was listening to my team's project managers explain their step-by-step approach. They treated running like a system: milestones, measurements, and motivation.
So I followed it. Quarter mile. Then half a mile. Then a full mile. I bought the right shoes. Used the right app. And with every step, I was literally building discipline.
Crossing the finish line at my first 5K wasn't just a milestone; it was a defining moment. It was a moment that reshaped how I lead. I committed right there to a three-year moonshot: complete a full marathon. Since then, I've hit my OKRs like clockwork. First, a 10K. Then, a half-marathon this past spring. Next year, the big one.
And with every milestone?
We celebrated.
After celebrating, we didn't linger in the moment. We reset, refocused, and prepared ourselves for the next starting line, ready to tackle the next challenge with renewed determination.
This rhythm—train, execute, celebrate, reset—is not just about running; it's about achieving a balance between effort and rest. It's a strategic approach that ensures high-performing leaders create sustainable momentum, always in control of their journey.
The Coasting Trap
Around mile six of any long run, something dangerous happens.
I start coasting.
Not intentionally. Not obviously. But the autopilot kicks in. My pace holds steady, so I assume I'm good. But inside, my form is slipping. My cadence is dropping. My body is losing efficiency.
And I don't even realize it.
That's what makes coasting dangerous. Everything feels fine. But it isn't. That's when breakdowns begin—not with a crash, but with quiet erosion.
Leadership is no different.
You scale your business. Revenue is up. Your team has grown. You pause to take pride in what you've built. From a distance, everything looks great.
So you start to coast. You stop actively seeking feedback, you become less involved in team meetings, and you may even start delegating more without providing the necessary support and guidance.
And just like in a long run, you stop noticing what's falling apart.
The team stops talking to you. Or worse, starts talking about you. Resentment builds. Trust erodes. But your metrics? They're holding. So you assume everything's fine.
Then one day, it isn't.
The Warning Signs You're Missing
In running, we refer to the sudden crash as "bonking." In leadership, it looks like team burnout, declining morale, poor client outcomes, and quiet quitting.
Smart runners check their watches mid-run. Smart leaders monitor employee satisfaction surveys like vital signs.
When those scores start dropping, don't dismiss them as noise from "a few disgruntled replaceable cogs in the system." That language alone tells you everything about why you're about to bonk as a leader.
Employee satisfaction rates drop dramatically, impacting the work they do for clients. Client satisfaction follows. Revenue inevitably follows. But by then, you've already crashed.
Here's the strategic reality: today's workforce—particularly younger generations—wants to feel welcomed to make a difference. They want to be true partners in success, not factory components. This isn't 1980s command-and-control management. This is the era of servant leadership, a leadership style that focuses on serving others, including employees, customers, and the community, rather than the traditional top-down approach. When you ignore this shift, you're not just missing a trend; you're also missing an opportunity. You're missing the fundamental change in how high performance gets created and sustained.
When you ignore this shift, you're not just missing a trend; you're also missing an opportunity. You're missing the fundamental change in how high performance gets created and sustained.
Rebuilding Your Leadership Form
If you're coasting—or at risk of it—here's how to rebuild your rhythm:
Always Celebrate First Before fixing anything, celebrate what got you here. Always find time to acknowledge progress with your team. These aren't feel-good extras—they're strategic recovery periods that prepare everyone for what's next. Take that moment after the smile, after the team celebration of mini wins, to recover and get ready for the next starting line.
Check Your Real Metrics Employee engagement scores. Retention rates. Authentic team feedback. These matter more than revenue numbers that might be riding on momentum from past decisions. What got you here won't get you where you need to go next.
Create Collaborative Goals Set stretch goals with your team, not for them. Build ownership in the outcome. The difference between good leaders and great ones isn't strategy—it's the emotional intelligence to recognize when you need to adapt and the discipline to involve others in creating the path forward.
The Starting Line Ahead
Leadership is exactly like running. It requires discipline, planning, and the self-awareness to recognize when you're coasting toward a bonk.
Your team is watching your form, your cadence, and your commitment to the discipline that brought you this far. They're ready to run alongside you, but only if you demonstrate the mindfulness to stay connected to what actually drives performance.
So the next time you're tempted to coast?
Stop.
Celebrate the last win. Check your employee satisfaction scores. Reset with your team as partners. And get ready to run again.
Because the question isn't whether you can lead.
The question is whether you have the discipline to keep leading when success tempts you to coast.
What early warning signs have you noticed when you start coasting as a leader? Share your strategies for staying mindful in the comments below.
