Visionary leaders look into the future and anticipate the length of the race before s/he starts the race – pacing themselves so as to finish the race successfully.

Younger leaders tend to initially run like it’s a sprint when indeed it’s a marathon.

One of the problems is that oftentimes such sprinting causes the leader to burn out, and we lose great talent before the race is over. The other issue is that a leader who insists on sprinting oftentimes causes their followers to burn out when they find themselves unable to maintain the pace set by the leader.

A mentor of mine said that one of the reasons older persons were in the world was to remind us of pacing. They seem to have a better handle on the concept. If you’ve ever been behind an older person going up a flight of steps, you know how frustrating it can be as s/he puts one foot in front of the other methodically climbing the steps – preventing you from jumping to the top two steps at a time. Yet we have to admit it . . . they do get to the top.

Who hasn’t in their exuberance sped past a car in front of them who was going too slowly only to see that same car in the rear view mirror right behind them at the next light? Pacing is a concept respected by both great athletes and great leaders.

Categories: Vitality

Tags: vitality