Fitpreneur: The new breed of leader

There’s a new breed of leader in town. They are the CEO’s, the business owners and the board of directors who are healthy, wealthy and wise. These leaders are mentally agile and dynamic, both personally and in business. They are fitpreneurs.

Today’s leaders know that it takes more than meetings, long lunches and late night phone calls to succeed. It takes a presence that demonstrates longevity, agility and strength.

Directors are urged to create value for the long term, and CEOs know they need the energy and the sustenance to plan ahead, manage day-to-day business, and deal with adversity in an ever-changing business and personal landscape.

Lack of productivity, absenteeism and sick leave are crippling organisations, and the fastest way to start creating change is for management to lead by example. We need more fitpreneurs inside organisations who can clearly show that creating time for health and fitness, admin, productivity, friends/family and ‘me’ time should be fully integrated into any given week.

How can you make this happen without turning your life upside down?

1. Incorporate health and wellbeing into your business day

The fitpreneur demonstrates a real blend and dedication to health, wellbeing and running a business with intelligence and efficiency. They plan their week, connect with their teams and know the importance of personal and commercial accountability.

Long lunches, late dinners and strategic think tanks off campus don’t add value unless they have a real sense of purpose. Time out, strategic sessions and a renewed sense of focus has to occur on a daily basis, not just at the annual company retreat.

Take time for walk-and-talks instead of long meetings, schedule active reconnect sessions such as golf, tennis, or sailing; anything that can have you discussing strategy while in the outdoors. Build time in your agenda to work out early in the morning to set your day up. Travel with your fitness gear and book hotels with gyms or discover the city on foot.

2. Lead by example: Show that you are making health a priority

 The largest asset an organisation has is its people, and the culture a company creates doesn’t come from the paper it’s written on, but the actions of those in charge; i.e. you. The challenge for employers is to take a strategic and measurable approach to human capital.

As businesses are impacted by the demands of technology, time, virtual teams, shift work, automation and a lack of personal connection, it’s more crucial to integrate positive work/life choices, and encourage a sense of purpose in and out of office hours. We must walk the talk.

Show your agenda in which you have time for family and your own wellbeing. Encourage productive, short meetings and remove long drawn out sessions; train your staff to be efficient, come prepared and use time wisely. Opt in for healthy lunches and dinners and out of late nights and not treating your body with respect.

3. Get started now: Keep it simple and show your purpose

1. Identify people inside your organisation who demonstrate clear headed personal accountability. Tap into their strengths and make them part of your dream team.
2. Ask yourself, do you know your staff, are you connecting with them, or are you always too busy and stressed out? What messages are you giving with your presentation and behaviour?
3. Look at ways you can run your winning week with purpose and integrate the 5 key pillars of performance (health and fitness, admin, productivity, friends/family and ‘me’ time)
4. Be a role model for your company.

Whether you like to acknowledge it or not, your actions create the culture. How you lead, communicate and demonstrate gets filtered through the organisation.