The Wall is Real (And Hitting It Hurts)

Cyclists and long distance runners can experience a phenomenon called hitting the wall or bonking, which is when the body runs out of glucose and they suddenly have no more strength to move forward. Damian Gerke, in his book Taking the Lead: What Riding a Bike Can Teach You About Leadership (2016), theorized that leaders can experience the same painful state when “Leaders push themselves beyond their available mental, emotional and physical resources.” He says that the symptoms are not weakness and fatigue, but rather irritability, poor decision making, lack of clarity, and reactive behaviors. It is important to recognize this state and provide coaching solutions to those who have hit the wall.

The way to avoid these consequences is found in mindfulness, which Gerke says can be practiced by “Focusing on two simple metrics: 1) time and 2) thoughts” (2016). He says that taking time to remove yourself from a stressful situation and restore perspective and energy can prevent tunnel vision and making mistakes. As a coach, it is important to help consciously focus on thoughts that are positive in nature will act as a sorbet, “Cleansing of your mental palate and putting you in an objective, productive, refreshed state” (2016). This can be done in a coaching setting, as a person can be led through David Rock's four faces of insight:

I have realized the need in my own life of taking the time to refresh myself and refocus on what is important. It is so easy to get caught up in the grind and then suddenly hit a point where frustration and negativity ruin the day; I am thankful for this recommendation from a wise source of leadership coaching.

Sometimes however... we hit a wall on purpose, or in this case, a wall of water, as I did in 2008:

Reference:

Gerke, Damian. (2016, October). The Wall is Real (And Hitting It Hurts). In Taking the Lead: What Riding a Bike Can Teach You About Leadership, 117-122.

Rock, D. (2014). Quiet leadership. 103