Leadership Lessons from a Walking Challenge
When my office decided to do a walking competition, I thought, Perfect—an easy win. I already chase a four-year-old around the house, how hard could this be? What I didn’t expect was how quickly it would turn into an all-out step war. Suddenly, I’m parking in the farthest spot at the grocery store, taking extra laps to the mailbox like it’s a marathon training plan, and yes, pacing the kitchen while my coffee brews just to watch the number tick upward.
I’ve also discovered a very particular type of competitive spirit lurking inside me—the kind that side-eyes coworkers on the leaderboard and whispers, Oh, you think you’re walking today? Watch me. Clearly, this is no longer about fitness. It’s about pride, stubbornness, and maybe a touch of professional rivalry.
But here’s the thing: in between all the silliness, this walking challenge has reminded me of some surprisingly important lessons about leadership:
1. Persistence beats sprinting (don’t burn out by Day 2).
In the beginning, it’s tempting to go all in—10,000 steps before breakfast, extra laps around the parking lot, pacing during every meeting. But the real winners aren’t the sprinters; they’re the steady ones who keep showing up.There is also just being persistent in showing up every day. Sure, these extra steps and movements started to make me a little sore. But the key thing is I am challenging myself to keep showing up. After a long work day I have still challenged myself to continually show up whether this was just walking on the treadmill or chasing after a garbage truck with my kiddo. Leadership is the same—you don’t need a flashy start, you need the stamina to keep going when the novelty wears off.
2. Small steps add up (literally).
At first, 100 extra steps here or there feels insignificant. But by the end of the week, all those tiny choices—taking the stairs, parking farther away, walking while you talk—add up. The same goes for leading a team or managing a project: the little consistent actions matter more than one giant push. Doing things such as checking in with team members to ensure they are finding balance in their work week. Finding ways to support these teammates when there are struggles during the week is also important. Key thing is know those on the team means that ultimately there is the ability to meet people where they are at but also still accomplish the tasks at hand.
3. Team accountability makes it way more fun.
I’ll admit it: I wouldn’t be nearly as motivated if I wasn’t watching my coworkers’ step counts creep up on the leaderboard. A little peer pressure (or encouragement, if we’re being nice) keeps me moving. Leadership is no different—we rise higher when we’ve got people walking alongside us, keeping us honest, and cheering us on. While there maybe questions about some teammates at the end of the day much like leadership when you cheat it only impacts you. Sure the group may get disgruntled but then you have others that will still keep trying to do their best to win.
So yes, I am absolutely that person power-walking around my living room at 10 p.m. to squeeze in those last 500 steps. And I may or may not be bribing my child into “dance parties” just to boost my numbers. But here’s the bigger takeaway: progress—whether in fitness, leadership, or life—is rarely about one big leap. It’s about small, steady steps that move you forward, even when nobody’s watching.
And if that forward movement just happens to put me one step ahead of my coworkers on the leaderboard? Well, that’s just good leadership practice.