‘Harder, faster stronger isn’t the solution’
This high-pressure ecosystem often fuels the myth that ‘harder, faster, stronger’ is the only path to success—a belief Leavy and Cutts caution against, illustrating with tangible examples.
Leavy expands further, describing the ecosystem leaders navigate. It’s an ecosystem of volatility, turbulence, the pace of change. Balance against that, you then have toxic cultures, perpetuated by social media—you feel what you’re doing is never enough, as he says.
There’s a belief that harder, faster, stronger is the right way to go, which creates impossible expectations on leaders. It weighs heavily. Something that starts as a high-stress situation, ends up as a physical manifestation. It goes hand-in-hand, adds Cutts. The body doesn’t work compartmentalised manner, each has an impact on the other. “Your work and career are determined by the success of your health, which allows you to develop a growth mindset. It’s a package deal,” she says.
Leavy illustrates with an example: “Think of a scale, 1 to 10. Ten is your best, when you feel most alive. The challenge is maintaining that state over a long period. Just like a 100m sprinter can’t sustain marathon pace, leaders slow to a jog and a walk.”
So in leadership, what does it look like? Yo-yo dieting, disrupted sleep, low energy levels, struggles to concentrate—the way to simplify it is that leaders are trying their best, but not doing their best. And as Cutts elaborates, when stress eats into your sleep. “The only time our brain can remove toxins, is during deep sleep. And, if you don’t get that deep sleep, the toxins are not removed, and if they’re not removed, our brain cannot learn and develop.
Beyond the science of leadership pressures, Zeitlin illustrates how these lessons play out in real life, showing the personal side of slowing down and speaking up.