"You have to finish the race in order to have a chance to win it."

“If you are fortunate, you have the option in life to be able to do something that you are good at, but more importantly something you truly care about and are willing to invest your time and energy in (and prepared to keep score). That’s where I am in life.” - Bill Clinton

This quote has always resonated with me, because in many ways it captures both the privilege and the challenge of being a CEO.

We are lucky, lucky to have the opportunity to build, lead and shape companies that matter. But that opportunity comes at a cost: the journey is rarely smooth. It’s full of setbacks, hard decisions and moments when the weight of responsibility feels almost unbearable. As I often say to my CEOs: “When you are a CEO, you’d better like solving problems… a lot of problems.”

From years of coaching CEOs, I’ve learned that the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is rarely brilliance alone: It’s stamina. It’s the ability to stay in the game long enough for compounding effort, compounding learning, and compounding resilience to pay off.

Too many promising leaders burn out before they see the fruits of their labour. They underestimate how long it takes, how difficult it is, and how much personal resilience matters. The ones who make it through are the ones who find a way to sustain themselves as leaders, not just their companies. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

So what does that look like in practice? Four things I’ve seen work:

1. Design for resilience. : This one sounds obvious but often gets neglected. Build strong habits around sleep, exercise, and recovery. Think of it as scaffolding for your leadership, not a “nice to have.”

2. Don’t do it alone : Build a stage-appropriate, talent-dense team. Do the same with your board. And surround yourself with peers who understand the unique pressures of the role. True peer groups are a lifeline, not a luxury.

3. Play the long game : Make time to zoom out regularly to gain perspective. A bad month or quarter doesn’t define your career. Reconnect with your mission and values, and make decisions with a multi-year lens.

4. Redesign your role deliberately : As your company grows, your role must evolve. Delegate operational detail, focus where only you can create leverage, curate your team, and ensure the role gives you energy, not just drains it.

You have to finish the race in order to have the chance to win it. Staying the course is the ultimate unfair advantage we have as CEO’s.

For those of you leading companies: What practices have helped you stay in the game when things were hardest?

Photo Credit: Jenda Kubes