Leadership Lessons From A Marathon Run

What a marathon taught me about leadership

Never in my life did I want to run a marathon. I thought it wasn’t for me. And the distance, 26.2 miles, seemed too far for my legs to carry me. Yet, this past Sunday, I ran my first (and I’m saying my only) marathon.

What running a marathon can teach you about leadership

Image by Matt Biller

I ran the marathon for a reason. In areas without access to clean water 1 out of every 2 children die before the age of 5 because of water-related issues. Because of this, I chose to run with Team World Vision and bring clean water to these children. Currently, the West Michigan Team World Vision team raised over $400,000 in donations for clean water. That’s a lot of people’s lives changed! You can still make a difference by going HERE and donating.

So, that’s why I ran a marathon this year. Through this marathon experience, I was reminded of key leadership truths. We’re going to take a look at those leadership truths in the rest of this article.

Learning To Forgive As A Leader

Our lives are ripe with opportunities to take offense to the actions of others. Even more so, I believe, when you take on the mantle of leadership.

Opportunities For Offense As Leaders

Leading gives us many chances to become bitter. It’s true, especially when you begin to examine leadership and the intricacies involved with leading.

You’ll come across those who:

Want to take your position as a leader

Talk behind your back

Pass your over for promotion

Find opportunities to usurp your position

Try to turn others against you

If you’ve been a situation like these, you know there’s the whisper that’s telling you to hold onto the hurt you felt. It’s your right after all, right?

And that’s how offenses begin to take hold. That’s how offenses begin to hinder your ability to lead.