Five practices that fuel success in great leaders

After years of studying leaders across industries and cultures, I’ve noticed something fascinating. The truly great ones, the ones who lead with clarity, curiosity, and imagination, all share the same rhythm. It’s not a checklist or an app that beeps with notifications. It is something quieter and something more human.

Great leadership is less about managing time and more about mastering rhythm. And every day, without fail, these leaders do five things that keep that rhythm alive.

1. They honor their body as the first classroom

Before they answer an email or step into a meeting, great leaders move. They understand that motion fuels meaning and ideas: a walk, a stretch, a moment to breathe deeply before the day begins.

They treat the body not as an accessory to thinking, but as its foundation. Neuroscience backs this up: physical movement increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, enhancing executive function and creative problem-solving. When you move your body, you move your mind- and therefore ideas flow. The most effective leaders I’ve observed don’t schedule exercise around their work; they recognize that movement is the work of staying sharp.

2. They guard white space like treasure

In a world that rewards busyness, these leaders protect stillness. They leave gaps in their calendars for moments that aren’t filled with doing. That white space becomes the oxygen for new ideas.

While others rush to fill the silence, great leaders pause long enough to listen to what silence is saying. This isn’t laziness disguised as strategy. It’s the recognition that innovation rarely emerges from a packed schedule. The best insights arrive in the margins- during a walk between meetings, in the quiet of an unscheduled afternoon, in the space between stimulus and response. Leaders who guard their white space aren’t avoiding work; they are creating the conditions for their best work to emerge.

3. They rest to remember

Great leaders understand that rest is not the opposite of work. It is the continuation of it. They know that when the conscious mind quiets down, the subconscious begins to connect the dots.

They take small moments of recovery throughout the day: a pause between calls, a walk without a phone, a minute of looking out the window. They rest not to escape, but to return clearer, sharper and more creative. This is the science of incubation at work. Research on creative problem-solving shows that stepping away from a challenge allows the brain to continue processing in the background. These leaders don’t power through exhaustion;they design recovery into their rhythm, understanding that strategic rest is what transforms effort into insight.

4. They listen between the lines

I’ve watched extraordinary leaders in conversation, and they have a rare ability to hear what is not being said. They pay attention to tone, tension, hesitation, and hope.

Listening, for them, isn’t about waiting to respond, but rather about creating space for truth to emerge. And in that space, trust takes root and creativity flourishes. This kind of deep listening is increasingly rare in our distracted age and increasingly valuable. When people feel genuinely heard, they offer their most honest assessments, their boldest ideas, their real concerns. Leaders who master this practice don’t just gather better information; they build the psychological safety that makes innovation possible.

5. They lead with wonder, not certainty

My favorite teachers have been the ones who don’t hesitate to acknowledge what they don’t know, and then invite me to join them in discovering answers. 

Similarly, the most creative leaders are not the ones who claim to know it all. They are the ones who stay curious. They ask questions that begin with What if…?; I wonder…? And Why not…?. They treat ambiguity as an invitation, not a threat.

Wonder keeps them flexible, alive, and open to surprise. And that openness is where innovation begins. In a business environment that often rewards the appearance of certainty, these leaders have the courage to say I don’t know; and mean it as an invitation rather than an admission. They understand that the questions we ask shape the possibilities we can see. Wonder fuels discovery.

The rhythm that matters

So what do great leaders do every day? They move. They think. They rest. They listen. They wonder. But more than that, they do all of it with rhythm.

Great leadership isn’t about what you know. It’s about how you move through the world. When you master that rhythm, creativity stops being something you reach for, and becomes part of your capacity for working better, smarter and with innovative outcomes. 

The best leaders do not manage energy, they design energy.