Leadership Lessons from Sandpipers...

“Leadership does not have to look like frantic movement along the shoreline. There is another way to lead. One that is grounded, sustainable, and aligned with who you truly are.”

As a leader, it is easy to feel like a sandpiper on the beach.

Last week, I had the opportunity to work from Venice, Florida. I have shared before the value of having a best friend at work, and that relationship is what brought me there. Being together allows us to do meaningful work with greater ease. We fuel one another, support one another, and as coaches, we challenge each other with just the right questions. While that experience was nourishing in its own way, this reflection is not really about that.

Instead, I want to share a metaphor that has stayed with me and feels deeply true for many of the leaders I work with.

As I sat on the beach, I watched sandpiper birds darting back and forth along the shoreline. They moved quickly and constantly, dodging incoming waves and the rising tide. Their movement looked frantic, as if driven by urgency rather than direction. At that moment, I realized they reminded me of many leaders at the beginning of our coaching relationship.

So many leaders tell me they feel as though they are on a treadmill. They are working harder and faster, yet not actually getting anywhere. Some share that they stay up all night finishing projects or regularly work more than eighty hours a week. This pace is not a short sprint. Often, it has been sustained for years.

Over time, the body begins to push back. Health issues slowly creep in and interrupt what was never sustainable to begin with. Weight gain, persistent aches and pains from long hours of sitting, elevated blood pressure, and constant fatigue become familiar companions. What once felt manageable now feels heavy.

Many describe their days as a series of emergencies. Every email, every call, every request feels like a five alarm fire. Not just to their mind, but to their nervous system. There is no pause, no recovery, no space to breathe.

Most know this way of living does not feel good and cannot last. Yet they are unsure how to break their own patterns or how to establish boundaries that truly support their health and wellbeing. Because they are leaders, their behavior quietly sets the tone for the entire workplace. In some environments, overworking becomes a kind of unspoken competition. People push harder and harder until they finally crash and name what has been true all along. Burnout.

Perhaps you recognize yourself in this description.

If so, I want to offer this gently. Your body is trying to communicate with you. Listening to the messages your body sends may feel uncomfortable, unrealistic, or even weak in a culture that rewards constant productivity. And yet, these messages matter. They are signals, not flaws. I hope you will listen before your body is forced to speak louder.

When we find ourselves here, and I say this from lived experience, the work is not to push harder. The work is to rebuild. A powerful place to begin is by reconnecting with how you are wired. Understanding your strengths creates space for compassion and choice rather than self-judgment.

From there, we can slowly learn to trust our bodies again. We can remember the wisdom they carry and the information they offer when we are willing to pause and listen. We can begin to loosen the grip of ruminating thoughts, imposter syndrome, and the beliefs that keep us stuck in patterns that no longer serve us.

Leadership does not have to look like frantic movement along the shoreline. There is another way to lead. One that is grounded, sustainable, and aligned with who you truly are.

If you are looking for a meaningful break to take that doesn’t require a car ride, I invite you to try this Autogenics guided break that I have created. Better yet, download the free Self-Care guide on my website: klearwatercoaching.com

If you are looking for someone to walk beside you on a new journey, I have three openings available for a March start for my program The Fearlessly Aligned Leader.