THE EXECUTIVE ATHLETE

I was recently a guest on the new podcast The HumanUp Imperative presented by Rex Wallace Consulting. This was my first such invite and I really enjoyed the experience. Rex is an interesting guy - a highly successful small business owner on a mission to make the world a better place by inspiring people to become better humans through increased (and enhanced) real life relationship building. Talk about a high minded goal! He is also a long time friend (and an OG LAN customer!).

Rex is CEO of Rex Wallace Consulting. And like many business leaders, he values fitness. In fact he credits getting back in the gym with helping him get through some really dark personal times a few years ago. He invited me on I think primarily to share both of our experiences with how focusing on fitness changed our lives for the better.  It was a great conversation - you should check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or LinkedIn.  

Watch the HumanUp Imperative Ep 3 on YouTube Here

I have to admit that I didn’t do much in the way of preparation for the podcast. But what I did do, was meditate on it during a long run the morning before our recording. And during that run, I was reminded of something I saw maybe a year or so ago. I think it may have been a YouTube video or a blog post on a talk given by Scott Gallaway. For those of you that may not know of him, Gallaway is a marketing professor at NYU and a best selling author. The focus of Gallaway’s message was on the character traits and habits of fortune 500 CEOs.  The insight from the talk that stuck with me was this. 485 out of 500 fortune 500 CEOs (at that time) worked out a minimum of 5 days per week.  Yep. 97% of the most high performing business leaders in the world train their bodies religiously. And here is my takeaway from this overwhelming consensus. High performing leaders have as an integral part of their identity a connection with their inner athlete. They are in effect Executive Athletes. 

These CEOs have no doubt learned that when you're fit and healthy, it is a superpower. It elevates your confidence, improves your mental performance (enhanced cognition, agility, and decision making), and generates that gravitas that sets impressive leaders apart. It isn’t just enough to know your numbers. You need to have an executive presence.   

If you are an aspiring executive or a leader looking for the edge that can get you to the next level, do not overlook this key factor. Reconnect with your inner athlete. Become an executive athlete. You will find that it can be the catalyst that unlocks your potential as a leader.