Leadership Endurance Starts with One Powerful Word: No.
How often do you say it?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how hard it is to keep going strong as a leader when the demands don’t slow down.
There’s so much opportunity out there. So much uncertainty. And most of us are juggling more priorities than we can handle without something giving way.
Even if we just focus on the core things—doing our jobs well, caring for our families, and maybe trying to take care of ourselves—it can still feel like too much.
And you know what tends to make it worse?
We say yes to too many things. Even when we don’t want to. Even when we know we shouldn’t.
Saying no feels uncomfortable.
We don’t want to let people down. We don’t want to miss out. We feel like we should be able to fit it in.
Especially for women leaders, that pressure to “be helpful” and “show up” is very real (and something you’ll hear about in this week’s podcast episodes below).
But here’s what I keep coming back to:
“No” is one of the most powerful endurance strategies we have.
It protects our priorities. It creates space for the work that matters. It keeps us from breaking promises to ourselves.
And sometimes, the no we need to say?
It’s not to someone else.
It’s to ourselves.
No, I’m not checking Slack before my morning quiet time.
No, I’m not overloading next week’s calendar just to be a team player.
No, I’m not going to let guilt set my priorities.
Honestly? This is where I’ve been slipping lately. And I’m working on it, right alongside you.
🔥 This ties right into the first part of my FIRE framework: Focus.
When we don’t protect our focus, the rest of our leadership endurance plan starts to wobble.
We don’t show up how we want to.
We make reactive decisions.
We burn out—quietly or loudly.
💬 This week, I want to leave you with a question:
What’s one “no” you’ve been avoiding… that could actually help you lead better, live better, and feel more like yourself again?
Leadership endurance isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters on purpose.
If you want support building a rhythm that works—for your life, your team, your goals—let’s talk.
Thoughts for Reflection
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”– Steve Jobs
“If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will.” – Greg McKeown, Essentialism
Announcements
📣 Register Now: The June Leadership Endurance Round Table will be on Wednesday, June 18th, and we’re focusing on preparing for a less stressful summer. You can register for this session and future ones with this link.
🎤Looking for a speaker who brings both strategy and soul to the leadership conversation? Let’s talk about what it really takes to lead with endurance in today’s world.
Whether your audience is made up of senior leaders, HR professionals, or emerging talent, I deliver practical, engaging talks on sustainable high performance, intentional leadership, and the habits that build long-term impact.
From navigating leadership fatigue to aligning people strategy with business growth—I’ll help your group think differently about how they “train” to lead when there’s no finish line.
Leadership Learning Content
Articles
Why You’re Chronically Overcommitted
“Train yourself to never commit to a request immediately. Instead, use phrases like “Let me check my current schedule and get back to you?” or “I’d love to, but would it be okay to let you know by tomorrow?” to buy time. When you reflect on the request, remember to consider your current and upcoming priorities and deadlines.”
Podcasts
If you missed past podcast episode recommendations, you can find them here.
Looking for other valuable resources we offer? Check out all of the resources here.
If you want other resources to read or watch, check out My Favorite Things list here.
If you missed this week’s daily content, you can find the notes here or see below for individual notes:
Sunday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
You can also find additional daily content from me on LinkedIn.