WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2024 — Many businesspeople wonder how they will have enough energy to lead for the next 20 to 30 years because life feels like a marathon.
“In my coaching and consulting practice, I often encounter leaders who feel they are running as fast as possible to deliver impressive results but are barely keeping up,” says Ann Bowers-Evangelista, PhD, a clinical psychologist and founder of Llumos, a consulting psychology firm.
With over two decades of experience, Bowers-Evangelista is an internationally recognized speaker and endurance career expert dedicated to growing strong leaders. Her book, The Endurance Leader: Leadership Longevity in a Fast-Paced World (Indie Books International, 2024), is a testament to her dedication to bringing the elite athlete’s discipline to long-term leaders.
“I’ve observed that some leaders are better than others at maintaining a long-term vision and commitment, even in the face of tremendous obstacles,” says Bowers-Evangelista.
An alarming statistic is that chronic illness in the U.S. increased from 48 percent in 2019 to 58 percent in 2023 among adults ages 35–44. This group also experienced the highest increase in mental health diagnoses, from 31 percent to 45 percent.
Her book introduces the Endurance Leader Model, which gives leaders tools and habits for controlling the stressors that lead to chronic illness and mental health issues.
“With business demands unrelenting, change happening faster than ever, and global issues fundamentally altering how we live, many people feel they are struggling to stay upright,” asserts Bowers-Evangelista.
Her four-part Endurance Leader model helps leaders develop the right mindset to live their purpose and build the discipline, skills, and support structures to help them lead successfully with energy, resilience, and meaning for decades. Her model is as follows:
Anchor Your Mindset. When leaders leave a job they dislike, it is often because they have little personal connection with their work. They cannot see the relationship between their work and their ultimate mission. The ultimate mission is essential in creating a connection with everyday work, but it can also play a critical role in buoying leaders when times get tough. One’s ultimate mission is built on higher-order drivers and motivators: for example, a faith or belief system, a commitment to the common good, or a desire for broad social impact.
Excel in Execution. Endurance means repeating the “just-do-it” mantra daily—whether you feel like it or not. A spirit of commitment to something longer term, something nobler than a momentary sentiment, compels the athlete/leader to invest in themselves, day after day—even when it is inconvenient. Many people have difficulty figuring out how to prioritize commitment to their leadership development and personal and professional goals. True endurance leaders are committed to training every day.
Forge Discipline. Researchers define mental toughness differently; however, the central tenets involve performing well despite adversity. Several studies suggest that mental toughness combines genetics, environmental factors, and psychological skills training. Further evidence of the state-like elements of mental toughness is the development of coping skills in adverse situations. For athletes and leaders to remain mentally tough, they need trait-like qualities (e.g., innate confidence and competitiveness) and state-like attributes (e.g., coping skills and emotional control).
Leverage Support. Like uncoached endurance athletes, effort and ego can only take a leader so far. When their natural gifts are no longer enough, and they need to keep going, the value of a coach is most apparent. Many people believe they can get through leadership (and life) without the support a formal, trained professional can provide. Selecting someone local with solid business acumen and an excellent reputation might be tempting. Just like a personal coach for endurance athletes, other factors must be considered, such as coaching goals, the coach’s style, and the chemistry between the coach and the leader.
Bowers-Evangelita believes every leader should consider a coach as part of their endurance leader support team.
“I’ve never met someone who couldn’t benefit from coaching. They may exist, but I haven’t met them yet.”
Her passion for endurance leadership coaching is borne out of her firsthand leadership experience and longstanding experience as a triathlete, which began in 2001. Bowers-Evangelista has completed over forty triathlons, including fifteen half-Ironman races, one full-distance Ironman race, and many shorter races. She has also completed three marathons, more half marathons than she can count, a few century rides, and some distance swim races. She is a sought-after speaker and expert on the topic of leadership endurance.