Discipline as a Leadership Superpower

Not long ago, I coached a leader who kept getting the same feedback from her team and peers:

• "You’re too rigid."
• "You don’t leave room for flexibility."
• "You’re always so structured."

At first, she took it to heart. She worried that she was stifling creativity or coming across as controlling. But as we unpacked what “rigidity” meant in her context, something interesting emerged. She wasn’t refusing to listen to others. She wasn’t micromanaging, and she wasn’t unwilling to adapt when circumstances truly required it.

What she was doing was protecting her time, focus and energy. She had clear boundaries and habits that supported her success — morning routines, deep work blocks, limited meetings, consistent follow-up practices and time carved out for strategic thinking.

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