Rest Between Sets: Building Leadership Resilience Through Recovery

When engaging in any fitness program, personal trainers often remind us to “tighten your core.” They also emphasize the importance of rest:

“Be sure to rest between sets to give your muscles a chance to recover.”

This advice is just as critical for leaders as it is for athletes. The growth-oriented leaders I work with are driven, forward-thinking, and always looking for ways to improve.

But with so much to do and no time to waste, they often push themselves harder than they’d ever ask their teams to. Over time, this can lead to burnout, diminished performance, and the creeping question:

“Is this sustainable?”

If you’re a growth-oriented leader balancing a big vision with a full schedule, it’s time to take a page from the athlete’s playbook.

Rest and recovery are essential to building resilience, fostering team growth, and achieving sustainable success.

The Pressure-Cooker Cycle

One team leader I coached faced a surge in responsibilities due to organizational changes.

A new strategy, updated technology, and team turnover all added to her existing plate. Her two biggest concerns were:

1. Avoiding overloading her already maxed-out team, and
2. Taking on more work herself to alleviate her leader’s burden.

While her intentions were admirable, her automatic response of "rescuing others" left her overwhelmed and stressed.

Ironically, the same pressure she tried to avoid was mirrored by others, including her leader, perpetuating a "pressure-cooker" culture.

The Power of Reflection and Recovery

Leadership, like athletic performance, benefits greatly from intentional recovery.

Athletic researcher Michael Kellmann found that both overtraining and insufficient recovery lead to diminished performance.

Similarly, in leadership, pushing through without reflecting can create a cycle of diminishing returns.

This is where stepping back to have a reflective conversation—whether with yourself or with a coach—can be transformative.

It creates space to pause, recalibrate, and ask bigger questions about your approach to leadership.

The Results Were Transformative

This is exactly what my client did. She stepped back from her usual temptation to wind and grind, leaned into a reflective conversation, and then together we crafted a plan.

The changes this leader made didn’t just improve her team’s performance—they created opportunities for team members to grow and develop, while also enhancing her leadership capacity.

• Empowering Growth: By delegating meaningful tasks, team members gained new skills and confidence, preparing them for greater responsibilities and career advancement.
• Focusing on High-Value Work: With the team feeling more empowered, she could focus on high-impact projects that aligned with her career goals.
• Transforming Team Culture: The shift from “doing it all herself” to enabling others to succeed transformed the team culture into one of collaboration, development, and shared success.

This transformation wasn’t just about managing workload—it was about creating space for growth, reflection, and meaningful leadership.

As a growth-oriented leader, what steps will you take to reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen your team?