There was a time when constant hustle felt like a necessity.
Children in different schools, different sports schedules. Graduate school. A demanding job. A parent with a terminal illness. If I was the first one online in the morning and the last one answering emails at night, it wasn’t because I was “leading by example.” It was because that’s what survival looked like.
I told myself that if I could hold all the things at once—family, projects, people, expectations—it was a sign of strength.
There are chapters of craziness. Seasons when everything lands at once and you just have to move. But it cannot be a constant.
Over time, and in moments that often came on long runs, solo hikes, or quiet moments, I came to know with certainty: you have to give yourself space to breathe. And you can’t feel guilty about getting that space.
That realization has become the foundation for every period of growth: learning to lead with capacity, not just hustle.
The Time Poverty Crisis
I regularly have conversations with leaders who say that the biggest burden to both organizational growth and personal development for themselves and their teams is not ambition, but a complete lack of time.
We reward busy leaders with more work. And many leaders feel guilty when they take time to think.
But strategic thinking isn’t an indulgence—it’s a must. And you must take intentional time to strategize. It’s not what happens between open-door conversations, Zoom calls, and firefighting. It requires space.
Hustle Is a Fast Trail to Burnout
Hustle promises momentum, but it quietly drains your reserves. It keeps you climbing at a pace that doesn’t match your breath.
I’ve coached enough leaders to see the pattern: the ones who are exhausted often don’t lack skill or ambition—they lack space. They’ve traded their margins for meetings. Their reflection time for reactivity. Their curiosity for constant performance.
But leadership isn’t measured by how much you can carry. It’s measured by how wisely you distribute your energy.
Hustle is a temporary high. Capacity is sustainable strength.
What Capacity Really Means
When I talk about capacity, I don’t mean time management or productivity. I mean the integrated ability to lead with clarity, emotional steadiness, and intentional effort.
Capacity is knowing when to say yes because it aligns with your purpose. Saying no before resentment arrives. Pacing your climb so you don’t burn out before the ridge.
Capacity means you understand that every leader—no matter how strong—has limits. The difference between depletion and longevity isn’t willpower. It’s awareness.
As one of my clients said recently, “I used to think I needed more hours in the day. Now I know I just needed to use the ones I had differently.”
That’s leadership maturity. That’s capacity.
Learning to Manage the Hustle
Here’s the thing: I’m still learning this. I wish I could say I’ve mastered calm capacity now that my children aren’t afoot, but some days, I still try to out-hustle gravity.
The difference now is that I notice it sooner.
I can laugh at the version of myself who thought “rest” was something you earn only after you collapsed.
That’s not rest. That is survival.
Small Steps Forward
True capacity requires both systems and spirit. The system is your habits—your priorities and boundaries. The spirit is your presence—how you show up, listen, and respond.
When those two are aligned, leadership feels less like a strain and more like a rhythm. You’re no longer climbing just to prove something; you’re climbing because it matters.
Start here:
- Where are you hustling out of habit instead of alignment?
- What might shift if you treated your energy as a finite resource instead of a limitless one?
- How can you model sustainable leadership for your team or family this week?
Remember, every mountain trail has resting points for a reason. You’re allowed to pause.
A Note for Leaders at the Edge
If you’re standing at the edge of a new season—tired, curious, or ready for something more aligned—start here: pace yourself.
Leadership is not a race to the top. It’s an ongoing relationship with your capacity.
When you lead with intention instead of intensity, you create something far more powerful than momentum—you create endurance, clarity, and trust.
And that’s what real leadership feels like.
If something in this feels familiar, coaching might support you here. Together, we can map a more sustainable trail forward—one rooted in clarity, capacity, and
