You know the feeling. You’re putting in the work, logging the hours, checking off the tasks—but somehow you’re not getting anywhere. Like running full speed on a treadmill while breathing through a straw, you’re exhausted but stationary.
If this resonates with you as a leader, you’re not alone. After three decades of walking alongside leaders in commercial banking, church leadership, and nonprofit organizations, I’ve seen this pattern more times than I can count. The question isn’t whether you’ll hit this wall—it’s what you’ll do when you do.
The Treadmill Trap
Most leadership challenges aren’t about working harder; they’re about working with clarity. When we lose sight of our true calling and purpose, we default to busy work that feels productive but lacks direction. We mistake motion for progress.
During my tenure as President of Williamson College, I watched capable leaders—including myself—fall into this trap. We’d fill our calendars, attend endless meetings, and tackle urgent fires, all while the truly important work of culture transformation and strategic vision got pushed to “someday.”
The breakthrough came when I realized that effective leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about aligning what we do with who God has called us to be.
Three Steps to Get Off the Treadmill
1. Stop and Seek Clarity Before you can change direction, you need to know where you’re going. This requires the discipline to pause, pray, and honestly assess your current reality. What are you running toward? What are you running from? Often, we’re so busy reacting that we never take time to reflect.
2. Align Your Actions with Your Calling As Christian leaders, our work isn’t separate from our faith—it’s an expression of it. When we integrate biblical principles with practical leadership, we move from managing tasks to fulfilling purpose. This doesn’t mean preaching at every board meeting, but it does mean leading with integrity, wisdom, and genuine care for people.
3. Focus on Culture Over Programs The most significant changes happen at the culture level, not the program level. If you’re constantly creating new initiatives but not seeing lasting change, examine the underlying beliefs and behaviors that drive your organization. Culture eats strategy for breakfast—and it devours programs by lunch.
Moving from Motion to Momentum
Real progress happens when we stop trying to do everything and start focusing on the right things. This requires saying no to good opportunities so we can say yes to great ones. It means having tough conversations instead of avoiding them. It means building systems that work even when we’re not in the room.
Most importantly, it means remembering that leadership is ultimately about serving others, not advancing ourselves.
The Path Forward
If you’re feeling stuck on the leadership treadmill, consider this your permission to step off. Take time this week to honestly assess where you are and where God is calling you to go. The marketplace needs leaders who don’t just talk about their faith but implement it in their daily decisions.
Your calling is too important to spend it running in place.
