Leading Long: The Absolute Need for Endurance, Perseverance, and Resilience

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Leadership is a journey fraught with challenges and triumphs. It often demands more than just strategy and charisma. There are three traits that will serve you well toward leadership longevity and effectiveness: endurance, perseverance, and resilience. These three traits may sound redundant, but in truth, they describe unique choices and commitments that are essential for good leadership. These virtues guide leaders through tumultuous seas and help shape foundational character.

Endurance – A Marathon, Not a Sprint:

Endurance is the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort. Endurance is about taking successive steps without deviation. It is about intentional continuance, a sense of constancy. It is to continue on the same path despite adversity. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews stated, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"(Hebrews 12:1). This verse implies that there is a set race, a particular course that every person is to run. The "race" refers to a common course for every follower of Christ and a unique course related to each leader's calling. Endurance is fueled by hope, the confident expectation that something good and sure lies ahead. Hebrews 12:2 encourages us to "look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." Jesus is the hope that empowers us to keep going amid leadership adversity. Hebrews 11 precedes these commands and exhortations and supplies us with real-life exemplars to add encouragement and hope to our journey of endurance.

Similarly, we as leaders should view our journey as a marathon, requiring steadfast commitment and the ability to endure trials. I have run several marathons in my lifetime. Every runner hits the wall at some point in the race, tempted to stop and give up. Training and experience allow you to hit the wall much later in the race. Two things keep you going when you hit the wall--the hope of the finish line--and the crowd of cheering witnesses who urge you on. Leadership endurance involves maintaining a sense of hope that something better lies ahead, even when faced with insurmountable obstacles. Who is your cloud of witnesses who cheer you on and keep hope alive? Developing leadership endurance requires a faithful community of peers who have the freedom to encourage, challenge, and correct you.

Perseverance – Weathering the Storms:

Perseverance always implies a goal. It is about continued effort to achieve something difficult and worthwhile. If endurance is about constancy of purpose, perseverance is about achievement. If the hope of something better fuels endurance, perseverance is fueled by accomplishing something great or worthwhile. The biblical narrative is rich with tales of perseverance in the face of daunting challenges. Consider the story of Joseph in the Old Testament, who endured daunting obstacles on the path of realizing a God-given dream. Joseph did not even fully understand what the dream meant, and he certainly needed maturing to be able to fulfill this dream. Still, he remained steadfast in his faith as he grew and persevered through every obstacle. Leaders, too, are called to persevere, learn from setbacks, adapt strategies, and press forward with determination toward accomplishing a worthy goal. Perseverance in leadership involves an unwavering resolve to overcome obstacles, learn, and grow through each trial. But the focus fixed on a worthy goal fuels the effort. Developing leadership perseverance requires a steady pace by identifying clear goals and sustainable rhythms to ensure healthy progress and accomplishment (e.g., Proper sleep, nourishment, meditation, people connection, and ongoing learning). Are your goals worthwhile and clear? Are your life rhythms and practices life giving and sustainable?

Resilience – Bouncing Back from Adversity:

Resilience is the bounce back! Resilience is about recovering and adjusting. The first time I ran the Boston Marathon, I did not realize that the first 16 miles were net downhill. I remember thinking, "This race is easy--much easier than the Austin Marathon." And then I hit the Newton Hills--five miles of uphill running ending with "Heartbreak Hill." The problem, if you are ignorant of the course as I was, is that the 16 miles of net downhill running has shot your quadricep muscles--but you don't know it until you try and run uphill for the first time. I had nothing to climb those hills because I was ignorant of them and had not trained for them. That race was my slowest time ever. I determined to qualify and rerun Boston. The following year, I knew what was in front of me, and I trained accordingly.

I needed reserve energy for the Newton Hills. I cut over 30 minutes off my previous time. That was the bounce-back race, and the Newton Hills was the bounce-back moment. The Apostle Paul is a great biblical example of resilience. Throughout his missionary journeys, he suffered many obstacles and setbacks. But he always bounced back because of his faith and his calling. Leaders must cultivate resilience to navigate the unpredictable nature of their roles. Resilience involves learning from failures, maintaining hope, and emerging stronger in the face of challenges. The Bible teaches resilience is not the absence of hardship but the capacity to rise above it. Developing leadership resilience requires a mentor who has faced your challenges through success and failure and can help you get back on course through sage advice. Who are your mentors? I suggest a close up mentor with real flesh and blood who can help you monitor you leadership journey. And I suggest a mentor from afar who might only exist in books and history—but can still serve to provide sage advice for the bounce back season.

The Synergy of Virtues in Leadership:

When combined, endurance, perseverance, and resilience create a synergy that fortifies leaders for the arduous journey. The biblical narrative consistently underscores the importance of these virtues, providing timeless lessons for leaders today. The Apostle James encourages believers to consider it pure joy when facing trials, as they produce endurance and maturity. Likewise, leaders can view challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities for growth, learning, and effective leadership.

Conclusion:

In the crucible of leadership, endurance, perseverance, and resilience are pillars that support and define effective and impactful leaders. Drawing wisdom from biblical teachings, leaders can find inspiration to weather storms, stay the course, and emerge stronger from every trial. As leaders embrace these virtues, they not only navigate the complexities of their roles but also leave a lasting legacy of strength, perseverance, and unwavering faith for those who follow in their footsteps.

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