PART 2: A NEW MODEL FOR LEADERS
PART 2: A NEW MODEL FOR LEADERS
The Future of Leadership in Our Industry BY LEAH CRUMP
FROM RHYTHM AND RECOVERY to relationships, creativity and culture, a new way forward is taking shape.
Resilience is more than a reset. Renewal is where the real model takes shape. We all share many of the same problems: fatigue, competing priorities and energy leaks that leave us drained when we need to be at our best. The goal isn’ t perfection— far from it. It’ s about recognizing where we fall and where balance is missing, then making mindful micro adjustments that keep us moving forward sustainably in our professional and personal lives. Resilient leadership comes from rhythm by design, not reaction.
Rhythm and recovery Where could rest and recovery enter your life now, before it’ s overdue?
Every leader runs on rhythm, whether or not they notice it. The question is whether that rhythm is being designed with intention or simply unfolding by default. Resiliency asks you to take ownership of it. The moment you begin treating recovery as a strategy rather than a backup plan, you change the entire tone of your leadership.
Over two years of phone check-ins, a corporate VP navigating intense perimenopause symptoms shared how she built her own rhythm of recovery while managing a demanding travel schedule. Her transformation came as she prioritized key health practices and firm professional boundaries. She protected sleep as if it were part of her role, adjusted meetings to match her best energy and treated restorative movement as non-negotiable. Over time, she felt more balanced, more capable and more present. Recovery built into rhythm became her foundation, not her fallback.
Resilience is also amplified by the inner circle. Who’ s on your roster, the people who inspire, motivate and love you enough to tell you the truth? Longevity requires curating your circle with intention. That means identifying energy leaks and being clear-eyed, even merciless, in deciding who belongs closer and who needs distance.
When assessing your inner circles, who sustains you, and who might need to shift further out?
Creativity and clarity Too often, leaders treat creativity like a luxury, something to earn once the real work is finished. Yet clarity rarely shows up through numbers alone. Creativity creates room for insight, and insight builds resilience. The more you practice giving your mind freedom, the more often clarity arrives when you need it most.
A spa leader in her 30s returned to painting after years away. She didn’ t do it for an audience. She did it to let her mind breathe. That space opened unexpected pathways at work, from sharper strategies to gentler leadership. Letting the mind be free is never wasted time. It’ s a portal to newness, where connections and solutions enter in ways logic alone can’ t deliver.
Relationships that sustain One resource partner executive revealed his biggest shift wasn’ t adding more. It was the courage to say no. He stepped back from committees, declined draining events that weren’ t producing an ROI and chose relationships that fueled him instead. What remained wasn’ t less connection. It was stronger connections, which led to more easeful business dealings.
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