Endurance Leadership: Lessons from the Long Run (and the Slow Stew)

I laced up again this summer after more than a year away from running. At first, it wasn’t about distance—it was simply about trusting myself to put one foot in front of the other. Twenty minutes here, a hill workout there. Slowly, I remembered: running isn’t about speed. It’s about rhythm, patience, and resilience.

“Leadership isn’t a sprint—it’s an endurance run.”

These lessons, I’ve realized, echo both in the kitchen and in leadership.

1. Pacing Creates Resilience

Sprint too early in a long run, and you burn out. Sprint too hard in leadership, and the same happens. The leaders who last understand that sustainability comes from pacing—progress built mile by mile, choice by choice.

2. Every Effort Strengthens a Different Muscle

My training shifts between recovery runs, intervals, hills, and long distances. Each one builds a different kind of strength. Leadership is no different. Teams and systems need variety—moments of reflection, bursts of intensity, seasons of endurance.

3. Trust Yourself to Go the Distance

Running teaches you this: no matter the gear, it’s you who carries yourself forward. Leadership is the same. Tools and strategies help, but it’s trust in your own process that gets you through.

From the Road to the Kitchen

African kitchens have always known this truth. Depth of flavor comes not from spectacle but from patience. A slow stew, like a long run, rewards time, consistency, and care.

The Leadership Takeaway

Endurance—in running, cooking, or leadership—is about respecting rhythm and process. It’s about knowing when to push, when to recover, and when to simply keep going. The long game is where resilience is built.

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This blog was adapted from my Substack letter: selassieatadika.substack.com.

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Bring me to your next corporate retreat, leadership summit, or strategy gathering to share embodied lessons on endurance, resilience, and systems thinking. Let’s explore how pacing, patience, and process can reshape the way we lead.