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It’s no accident that my interest and dedication to personal fitness developed into a broad-based career as an entrepreneur and author. In fact, it’s precisely because of the qualities fitness fosters that I’ve been able to lead teams and projects efficiently and effectively. As I aim to communicate in my newest book, “ Strong Is the New Skinny: How to Eat, Live and Move to Maximize Your Power ,” fitness is the foundation for a life of strength in every realm. Here’s how a commitment to fitness can make you an exceptional leader.
1. It establishes discipline. Nothing exists in a vacuum—our home life affects our work life, and our mental state manifests in our physical bodies. In that way, summoning the discipline to stick with a fitness regime means drawing that energy into our lives in a holistic way—from the gym to the boardroom of a growing company. It drives us to want to work harder in competitive environments and make short-term sacrifices to reach goals, and establishes the sense of progress and order that great leaders achieve. Beyond that, a day that begins with exercise is one fueled by an added (and enduring) jolt of energy for major productivity.
2. It builds self confidence and self esteem. You know the feeling: It’s been a long, stressful day, and the last thing you can imagine doing is swapping loafers for trainers and breaking a sweat. But when you push through the mental and physical obstacles and make it happen—is there a better, more empowering feeling in the world? The boost in self confidence and self esteem that comes from surmounting such challenges (not to mention from the surging endorphins) is a boon to a developing leader in any realm. And here’s an often-overlooked piece of the puzzle, too: Fit, confident people also tend to be happy and healthy, qualities that must underlie any leader who wants to truly inspire.
3. It activates strong will. Great leaders achieve success as a result of clarity of mission and strength of will, and they require intense psychological and emotional fortitude. Well, committing to fitness is all about developing that baseline of resilience and mental strength. It’s about establishing a life marked by intense effort and earned reward: Work hard, see results, feel great. And that’s a motivating ethic that is key to leading a team with efficiency and authenticity—and indeed with charisma.
4. It keys us in to goal setting and achievement. Building an effective team is about establishing clear goals and achieving them in manageable increments that are both formidable and based in reality. Fitness is just that same. How many pull-ups and box jumps can I do today, and how many can I expect to do next week, and then next month to become leaner, fitter and stronger in realistic but ambitious phases? It’s about setting yourself up to succeed and giving yourself the tools you need to do it. And when you do that—with fitness as with leadership and life—nothing is out of your reach.
