What running every day for 5 years taught me about leadership and business

On 23 March 2020, the first day of lockdown in the UK, I laced up my trainers and went for a run. What started as a way to make use of our once-a-day outdoor allowance became a non-negotiable daily habit. Five years later, I’ve run every day - more than 2,025 consecutive days - through illness, storms, travel, and the inevitable days when motivation was nowhere to be found.

This commitment has taught me a lot about resilience in business, consistency, and discipline, qualities that have never been more relevant to business leadership than they are in 2025. With economic uncertainty, rapid digital transformation, and increasing pressure for sustainable growth, leaders today need stamina and focus more than ever.

As Managing Director of h2o creative, I often find that the lessons from running mirror what it takes to grow a business. Here are five leadership lessons running has taught me and how they translate into long-term success.

1. Consistency in leadership is the foundation of success

In running, the biggest gains don’t come from one fast 10k or a heroic marathon effort. They come from showing up every single day. Some runs are short, some are slow, but they all compound.

Consistent routines matter in business just as much as in running. Regular prospect follow-ups, ongoing client care, and steady reporting build the rhythm that underpins sustainable growth. Yet Gallup reports that only 21% of employees globally feel engaged at work, with disengagement draining around $438 billion from the world economy each year¹. This shows how vital the everyday actions of leaders are. It’s often these small but daily habits that reverse the trend and demonstrate consistency in business.

At h2o, our approach to lead generation reflects this. For example, in our Shopify eCommerce case study, consistent optimisation of SEO and PPC campaigns increased sessions by 47.72% and boosted sales by 36.58% in just three months. The message is clear: small, disciplined improvements every day create compounding results.

Check out our 4x44HQ case study now.

2. Discipline over motivation: the key to business performance

Motivation is fickle. There are mornings when running feels impossible. What gets me out the door isn’t motivation but discipline. The commitment to ‘just go’ is what makes the streak possible.

Business works the same way. Discipline over motivation ensures the critical tasks, from pipeline reviews to campaign execution, get done whether or not you feel like it. Leaders who rely only on inspiration risk inconsistency, but those who embed discipline create predictable, high-quality output.

This principle has guided h2o’s client delivery. When working with startups, such as in our Marketing Foundations case study, we executed branding, SEO-rich copy, content, and social campaigns consistently - even before product launch. That discipline generated new sign-ups and partner meetings despite market uncertainty.

You can learn more in our Connected Apps case study.

3. Resilience through challenge: leading when it’s hard

Not every run is a good one. Rain, fatigue, injury niggles - challenges are inevitable. But resilience is built by pushing through anyway.

In business, challenges are just as inevitable. From resource constraints to shifting client needs, leadership resilience is what makes the difference. Deloitte found that resilient organisations are 3x more likely to achieve long-term success during disruption². Yet in 2025, only 20% of organisations describe themselves as fully prepared for outages³.

At h2o, resilience shows up in high-pressure campaigns. For Harley-Davidson’s Black Friday campaign, we designed and deployed targeted emails across 13 markets. The result: a 59% open rate, 20% click-to-open rate, and record-breaking sales in one of the most competitive retail periods. That success came not from avoiding pressure, but from embracing it and executing with precision. Take a peak at our case study to find out more. 

4. Stick to the plan: trusting strategy over short-term results

Training for a long run can feel slow. You put the miles in, but for weeks it seems like nothing’s changing.

The same applies to business strategy. Whether launching a long-term brand campaign or investing in new technology, results rarely show overnight. Abandoning the plan too soon undermines growth, but staying the course delivers compounding returns.

At h2o, we’ve seen this first-hand. For one B2B client, a content-led campaign took time to gain traction. Early months were quiet, but by the end of the first year it had become their number one source of leads. Sticking with the plan and executing consistently delivered far greater value than chasing quick wins.

5. Celebrating milestones: building momentum and morale

One of the joys of running every day is hitting milestones: 100 days, a year, 1,000 days (earning the ‘comma’). These markers fuel motivation to keep going.

Businesses need the same mindset. Recognising achievements, whether landing a new client, hitting a revenue goal, or completing a project, boosts morale and strengthens culture. Gallup research shows employees who feel recognised are 23% more engaged and productive⁴.

At h2o, celebrating milestones is part of how we build culture and momentum. From Harley-Davidson’s record Black Friday sales, to the footfall and engagement created through our experiential event stand designs, marking these moments reinforces belief and drives the next phase of performance.

Looking ahead: why success habits and resilience matter today

The world that leaders operate in today demands resilience, discipline, and daily habits. Running has taught me that leadership isn’t about bursts of inspiration; it’s about showing up, staying the course, and celebrating progress along the way.

In fact, DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025 revealed that 40% of leaders under stress considered leaving leadership altogether to protect wellbeing⁵. This proves that embedding personal growth and leadership habits is no longer optional, but a necessity for sustainability.