When Your Hip Flexors Hurt, So Does Your Leadership

 🚴‍♂️ When Your Hip Flexors Hurt, So Does Your Leadership

Ever notice how sitting too long makes your lower back ache, your hips tighten, and your legs feel like rusty hinges?

That’s not just a body problem — that’s a leadership problem.

After 44 years in IT, 45 years coaching gymnastics, and 50 years developing character-driven leaders — from Scouts to the Air Force to business — I’ve seen it over and over again:

👉 Comfort creates stiffness.

When your hip flexors tighten, your stride shortens. When your Character Wheel stiffens, your leadership slows down.

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💥 The Leadership Hip Flexor Syndrome

Just like sitting too long shortens your muscles, sitting too long in positional power shortens your perspective.

You start relying only on your back wheels — Technical and People Skills — because they still move, even if they’re wobbling.

But your front wheel — Character — the one that gives direction and balance — locks up.

And suddenly you feel the leadership pain:

• Tension in the team 🨯
• Trust fatigue 😓
• Decision paralysis 😶‍🌫️
• A culture that creaks instead of flows 🧱

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🧘‍♂️ The Stretch That Changes Everything

Here’s the good news: leadership flexibility can be restored.

In The Tricycle Effect, we stretch the Character Wheel first, because that’s what realigns the ride.

And the research backs it up: ✅ Fred Kiel’s Return on Character study — high-character CEOs achieved 5× higher ROA than low-character peers.
✅ Ivey Business School research — humility, courage, and accountability predict leadership effectiveness.
✅ Neuroscience shows that character can grow just like muscle — through intentional, repeated practice.

I’ve seen it firsthand — from debugging IT systems to spotting gymnasts to leading Air Force teams — when Character leads, everything else follows.

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🚶‍♀️ Time to Stand Up — Literally and Figuratively

Take five minutes today to stand up and stretch your hips and your leadership.

Ask yourself:

• Where have I gotten too comfortable?
• Which part of my leadership posture needs realignment?
• How can I bring Character back to the front wheel?

Because every great leader knows: if you don’t stretch, you stiffen.

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🎁 Ready to Loosen Up Your Leadership?

If you’re ready to release the tension and ride with freedom again…

👉 Read the Foreword and Chapter 1 of my book Coach-Ability — discover how to bring balance back to your leadership tricycle and lead with Character First.

📘 Access your free Character-Driven Leadership Guide here: https://LMDC.aflip.in/092ea9aa14.html

Then let’s talk — schedule your free 30-minute Introductory Coaching Call. No pitch. Just purpose.

Because leadership — like mobility — only improves when you move.

Love, Live, Lead, and Trike On!, Coach Dane