10/09/2025

How to Coach Hyper-energetic Executives

Many behaviors we admire are not signs of effectiveness

It is time to challenge one of the most persistent myths in executive leadership: that the highest-performing leaders are those who move the fastest. Speed, decisiveness, intensity—these traits have become shorthand for executive effectiveness in today’s business culture. A senior leader who brims with energy, constantly pitches new ideas, responds instantly to emails and pivots quickly when new data emerges is often described as “driven,” or “action-oriented.” But what if that same behavior is, in reality, draining value from the organization?

Over the past two decades, I’ve coached and advised hundreds of senior leaders—CEOs, board chairs, operating partners and C-suite executives across tech, private equity, professional services and high-growth ventures. What I’ve learned in as a strategist, investor and founder/CEO, is that many of the behaviors we admire at the top are not, in fact, signs of effectiveness.

These behaviors often are symptoms of over-functioning: a leadership style marked by constant motion, high mental velocity and a persistent discomfort with stillness. These leaders aren't modeling peak performance—they’re playing out a high-stakes version of restlessness. They don’t just run hard; they run noisily. And while they often credit their success to this intensity, what actually sustains organizations over time is disciplined clarity, not speed alone.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.