Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of leading large organizations, including serving as a CEO. Leadership brings amazing opportunities, but it also comes with a lot of pressure as it requires balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders including employees, customers, shareholders, and communities while staying true to a company’s mission and values. At times, these pressures can feel overwhelming, making it tough not just to manage an organization but also to manage yourself. I can relate.

Recently, I came across a great McKinsey article titled, “The CEO as Elite Athlete: What Business Leaders Can Learn from Modern Sports.” It got me thinking about my own CEO experiences and how leadership, much like professional sports, demands consistency, discipline, and self-management. Just like athletes, leaders at all levels need to balance performance with endurance—managing themselves effectively while leading others.

A big part of being an effective leader is mastering personal management. Without a structured approach to prioritization, consistency, and self-discipline, even the most capable leaders can become reactive rather than proactive and get caught up in immediate demands vs. focusing on what really matters. I’ve been there. And interestingly, the lessons I learned early on about the power of small, consistent actions became the foundation that helped me navigate the challenges of leadership.

Lessons from the Early Years

I never set out to be a CEO. In fact, my early academic years were anything but structured. By the time I hit my first set of college midterms, my GPA had tanked. But that was the wake-up call that forced me to make a choice: keep coasting or step up and take control of my future.

I chose to make a change, but it didn’t happen overnight. I started small by building a study routine, setting specific times for classes, studying, and even socializing. I sought out quiet places that minimized distractions and stuck to a schedule that worked for me (structured, but with some flexibility). Over time, those small, consistent actions turned things around. So much so that I went from failing grades to making the honor roll. But more importantly, I gained confidence by discovering that discipline and prioritization (not just intelligence) are the keys to success.

That lesson has stuck with me. As I moved up in my career, I saw that leadership follows the same principles: structuring time, setting clear priorities, and making sure actions align with long-term goals. The fundamentals of leadership aren’t so different from the fundamentals of personal growth.

Consistency in Leadership: Navigating the Pressures of a CEO

Running a public company means dealing with constant change—market shifts, regulatory challenges, investor expectations, and internal dynamics. It’s easy to get in the mode of letting daily fires dictate priorities. But operating this way inevitably leads to burnout, with long-term success taking a hit.

To minimize this, I continued with many of the same principles I developed in college: consistent habits, clear priorities, and an intentional approach to managing my time. Creating structure through routines, strategic planning, and prioritizing personal well-being helped me stay focused on what mattered most.

One of the toughest challenges for CEOs is the illusion of infinite capacity. The truth is, you don’t have unlimited time or energy, so you must be intentional about how you spend it. I used (and still use) a simple framework to guide my time and decision-making: family, work, well-being (health and spiritual), and relationships and community. Just like watering a garden with limited resources, time must be allocated wisely to avoid spreading yourself too thin.

Over the years, I’ve tried different ways to prioritize, but there are two habits that have had the biggest impact. First is I set aside a quiet time every Sunday to reflect on the past week. Second is I put a lot of thought and planning into the week ahead to ensure my key priorities are given the “water” they need to stay healthy and balanced. These small habits help me stay true and focused on what truly matters.

Managing Oneself While Managing Others

One of the hardest aspects of leadership isn’t just guiding an organization, it’s managing yourself while leading others. Leaders at every level often struggle with this balance. They feel the need to be everything to everyone: an inspirational figure, a problem solver, a strategist, and a decision-maker. In the process, they neglect their own well-being, priorities, and long-term focus.

I’ve found that consistency in self-management is just as critical as consistency in decision-making. It meant embracing humility, recognizing that leadership is about empowering others, not just carrying the burden alone. The most effective leaders aren’t those who try to do everything themselves, but those who develop strong teams, provide clear direction, and empower others to take ownership and drive meaningful impact.

Looking back, I never could have predicted that the simple habit changes I made in college would become the foundation for how I approached dealing with the complexity of leading at the highest levels. But they did. The ability to take small, consistent steps whether in learning, health, leadership, or personal priorities has been the greatest determinant of success in my career.

__________

Leadership is never easy. The pressures are real, and the responsibilities are immense. But by creating order in the chaos through structured prioritization, consistent habits, and self-discipline, leaders can navigate complexity with confidence. The lesson is simple: success isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about doing the right things consistently over time. When leaders manage themselves well, they create clarity, stability, and structure for those they lead, empowering their teammates to be their best selves.