Lead Like an Athlete

About 20 years ago, I sat down with Jim Loehr, EdD hr at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. I had just finished reading his Mental Toughness Training for Athletes and was using the ideas to help train the Wall Street Associates consultants. On top of that, I was starting to get into marathon running and had transformed my entire life.?

Jim Loehr had researched and worked with thousands of athletes. He found there is a point when the physical body is at its peak, but what really makes the elite athlete is the mental toughness. His focus was on how we manage our energy, balancing between intense effort and strategic renewal.? Energy, not time, was the key. It resonates with ★ Helen Iwata ★ Women's Success Coach idea:, “You need less effort and more impact.” (Listen to our conversation on the FocusCore Podcast here).?

As a leader, if you want to master your energy–mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual energies–then you need to focus like an athlete.?

What does that mean? As Loehr’s research points out, athletes don’t cram in more training, but they maximize their recovery. For tennis pros that he worked with, it was the time between the points that he focused on that made all the difference.?

James Clear , in Atomic Habits also taps on the same principle. First, you need to have that identity based shift to create change. As my mentor, Dr. William Boast advised in Masters of Change, “Who you are to be, you are now being.”??

. Having the mental capacity to give yourself clear messages of success, have that vision of yourself and where you are going, and then taking small, repeated actions to reach that point.?

As Jennifer Shinkai PCC once told me, most of her work as an Executive Coach is just helping her clients discover where they want to go, rather than what they are scared of. Let’s face it, fear is a crappy motivator.? Most leaders operate from a place of fear: fear of failing, fear of not doing enough, fear of looking weak. But fear is a blunt instrument. Elite athletes don’t just “power through” fear; they develop a healthier relationship with it. They train their minds to reframe pressure as fuel, not as a weight dragging them down.

?Emotional energy is that secret weapon.? You can be the most disciplined, data-driven leader on the planet, but if you can’t manage your emotions, you’re a liability. As Loehr points out, energy is just as important as mental and physical stamina. This means learning how to process stress, stay adaptable, and vulnerable.

If you want to win in leadership the way elite athletes win in sports, here’s the game plan:

• Train for Recovery, Not Just Performance:? Athletes don’t just train hard; they recover hard. Leaders should do the same. Schedule downtime with the same discipline as work. If you don’t, your body will do it for you (probably in the form of burnout or bad decisions).
• Strengthen Your Emotional Core:? Think of emotional energy like the endurance needed for a marathon. If you compartmentalize everything and never address your emotional state, you’ll crack under pressure. The best leaders process emotions, not suppress them.
• Flip the Fear Script:? Instead of letting fear paralyze you, start using it as a data point. High performers don’t ignore fear; they acknowledge it, learn from it, and act anyway.
• Lead Like a Coach, Not a Commander: The best sports coaches develop their players holistically, not just as athletes, but as people. Leaders should do the same. Create an environment where your team can push, recover, and grow.
• Self-Care is a Competitive Advantage: Still think self-care is indulgent? Here’s a reality check: burned-out leaders make bad decisions. If you want to be effective, your first responsibility is taking care of yourself.

Stephen King once said, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” The best leaders get up and go to work, but they also know when to step back and recharge. They treat their energy like an investment, not an unlimited resource.

If you don’t take control of your energy, the world will drain it from you.

Are you running on empty, or playing to win?

#Leadership #EnergyManagement #MentalToughness #Resilience #Executiv