Built Daily

We tend to think leadership growth happens in defining moments like a promotion, a key decision, a significant milestone. Those moments matter. But what fuels our growth far more consistently are the intentional habits that we practice every day.

Over time, leadership becomes less about aspiration and more about practice.

Last night, during a regular forum I participate in with Coaches Brent Pease and Chris Hauth, Coach Chris asked a question he has posed in few different ways over the years:

“Are your daily habits helping you become the person—the leader—that you want to be?”

The forum is designed to help athletes prepare for the 29029 Everesting season. We talk about training structure, recovery, fueling, pacing. I’m fortunate to be part of it not only for the preparation, but for the opportunity to connect with other participants, hear practical training insights from Coach Brent, and soak in the mindset discipline Coach Chris consistently reinforces.

Many of us already know the kind of leader we are trying to become. We want to be calm so that our teams feel secure. Clear so our teams aren’t left guessing about values or priorities. Present in the conversations that matter, both at work and at home. Disciplined in how we manage and restore our energy, so we show up consistently for the people who depend on us. Courageous and intentional when decisions have real consequences for those around us.

The question isn’t whether we desire those traits or other qualities that define the leader we hope to become. The question is whether our daily habits reinforce them.

One of the ideas I appreciate from Atomic Habits is that habits are not simply tools for productivity; They’re how our leadership identity develops over time. We don’t transform because we set ambitious goals. We evolve toward our aspirational leadership selves because we regularly practice a version of ourselves through repeated behavior.

Each habit you practice is a small, daily vote for the leader you’re becoming.

Those small votes compound in small but predictable ways. And over time, they become the patterns we fall back on when we’re under stress.

Of course, none of us executes perfectly. There are stretches when the calendar is full, our energy dips, and well-intended routines get missed. That isn’t a failure, I think it’s part of leading and living at full capacity.

When you fall out of a habit, recommit the next day. Not with unsustainable intensity or unhealthy self-criticism, but with renewed focus. Our leadership isn’t defined by being perfect; it’s defined by how quickly we return to the practices that shape us.

There isn’t a singular moment when we finally “arrive” as the leader we were meant to be. Instead, leadership growth is an ongoing process of alignment, making sure our values show up how we allocate our time and in our conversations, and our discipline shows up in how we manage our energy.

Over time, the daily habits we practice become leader we were meant to be.