Most high-performing business owners I know are meticulous about optimizing their operations. Systems, staffing, capital allocation—they sweat every detail. And then they skip lunch and sit for nine hours straight, running out of juice when they need it most.

There’s a disconnect.

I'm not immune to this. I've done it myself!

But once I started to understand what's happening inside our brains when we move our bodies and fuel it well, I stopped thinking of fitness as purely a matter of personal discipline. It became an operational decision instead.

I’ve set a lot of goals in my life: run a hundred miles, help build a trusted company with my dad, and raise five incredible kids who actually like each other. Just to name a few. They’re the big picture, ambitious goals that you’d see someone put on a vision board.

And look, those goals are great. I’m not knocking big goals or aiming high. But you know, a goal without the right process to support it is about as effective as wishing on a star. Realizing that is when I started falling in love with process goals, not just outcome goals.

For a long time, I thought success looked like ease. I wanted to remove every obstacle, optimize every system, and protect myself from uncomfortable jams. In a way, it made sense. I still understand the impulse. But I also realized that looking for ease couldn’t possibly prepare me to be resilient when the rock met the hard place.

Since I had that wake-up call, I've been deliberately choosing hard things: things I'm not sure I can finish, situations where the outcome isn't guaranteed, physical challenges with my ego on the line. 

It’s absolutely one of the best business decisions I've made.

What’s the first image in your head when you think “leader”? I know a lot of people will instantly think of big stages, flashy hype moments, and the electric energy of a great conference speech. And don’t get me wrong, those moments and those people can be effective and inspiring. 

But it’s really just a small sliver of what solid, lasting leadership is. In fact, I’d argue it rarely looks like that at all.

Some of the most trusted leaders I know aren't the loudest people in the room. They're not the ones commanding attention at every meeting or leaving people energized after every conversation.