Rest is not a reward

Rest is not a reward for performance. It’s a prerequisite.

I’m just back from a brisk walk outside, and a coffee. I feel MUCH better.

High performers often carry a subtle belief that rest comes after the work - as a kind of recovery bonus, earned once the hard stuff is done.

But the science says otherwise.

When we’re tired - physically, cognitively, emotionally - the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for executive function, simply doesn’t operate at full capacity. Your creativity narrows, your decision-making skews toward risk aversion or impulsivity and your empathy fades. Do these qualities sound familiar? Yep, we lose access to the very capabilities that senior leadership demands most: judgement, foresight, clarity, emotional regulation.

In short: tired brains can’t lead well.

And yet, many senior leaders are chronically under-recovered. Not just sleep-deprived, but stretched too thin to restore fully between demands. They push through, because they’re “needed”. Because others are watching. Because it feels like the cost of the job.

But recovery is not the opposite of performance. It’s a prerequisite to it.

The smartest athletes in the world don’t just train hard, they recover strategically – in service of their upcoming demands. Executives need to do the same.

Not with a week off once a year, but with deliberate - hourly, daily, weekly - ongoing cycles of restoration: sleep, movement, time in nature, deep connection, solitude, perspective-taking. Small, repeatable moments that rebuild capacity.

A question I sometimes pose to clients:

What would change if you treated recovery not as an afterthought, but as a core part of how you lead?

Until next week, take care of yourself and others

Madeleine

I help accomplished professionals untangle difficult career questions so they can thrive in work and life.

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