The Leadership It Takes to Go the Distance.

By Benoit Garbe

Leaders lessons from Diana Nyad’s journey

A few months ago, I watched the Netflix film Nyad, the story of Diana Nyad’s attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. I had read about her before, but seeing the full scope of her journey — her failures, her resilience, her refusal to back down after setbacks — struck a different chord. I found myself thinking not just about endurance or physical strength, but about what it takes to lead with intent over time. What it takes to keep going when your first efforts fall short. And what it means to ask others to stay with you, even when the outcome is uncertain.

Nyad completed her 110-mile swim at the age of 64. It was her fifth attempt. She had failed before. She had been told to stop. But she chose to continue — to prepare differently, to bring the right team around her, to adjust and try again. What stayed with me was not just her determination, but how she got others to believe in the mission — and in her.

Her mantra — “Never, ever give up” — is memorable. But what really matters is what comes with it: clarity, resilience, and trust. Nyad’s story echoes something I’ve seen in business again and again. Bold goals bring pressure, pushback, and doubt. What separates the leaders who succeed is not that they avoid these moments — but how they respond.

In my own experience — building a consulting business across five offices in Asia, leading complex brand and capability transformation at AB InBev, and now as Founder and President of Quint Advisory — the pattern is familiar. You set an ambitious goal. You meet resistance. You make progress, stall, regroup, and push again. The question is: can you stay grounded in the ambition long enough — and bring others with you — to see it through?

Here are five principles I come back to often — when the stakes are high, the path unclear, and the goal still worth chasing.

1. North Star

Leadership starts with clarity — of direction and of intent. Nyad’s goal was extreme, but not vague. She had a reason for doing it, and she made that purpose known. That clarity gave her and her team something to hold onto when things got hard.

I have seen the same in business. Whether it is entering a new market, launching a new proposition, or building belief behind a brand, what keeps people aligned is not the plan — it is the point. The North Star keeps you from drifting. It gives teams a reason to show up and a way to course-correct when things shift.

2. Preparation & Discipline

Nyad did not succeed by trying harder. She succeeded by preparing better. She studied the conditions. She brought in experts. She adjusted her routines and built systems to handle the unpredictable.

Leadership is no different. You anticipate resistance. You build in flexibility. You create process where it matters and focus where it counts. Discipline is not about control — it is about consistency. About setting up your team to keep moving even when the situation changes. The leaders I trust most are the ones who prepare well, adapt fast, and keep showing up.

3. Perseverance

Nyad failed four times. Each time she got back in the water, she came with more resolve, not just more effort.

That mindset matters. Because the truth is: most bold goals hit friction. There are moments where progress slows, where doubt creeps in, where the team starts to look for exit ramps. That is when perseverance becomes leadership. Staying with it. Refusing to dramatize the challenge. Naming what is hard and helping people get through it — together.

4. Self-Awareness

Nyad never pretended to have it all figured out. She relied on her team. She knew when to speak up and when to listen. That kind of honesty made the effort sustainable.

I have seen leaders succeed not because they had all the answers — but because they knew what they were great at, where they needed help, and how to create space for others to step in. Self-awareness builds trust. It opens up the room. And in high-pressure moments, it is what keeps a team grounded.

5. Unity

Nyad may have been the swimmer, but the team got her there. Everyone had a role, and they believed in the outcome as much as she did.

The same is true in business. The best leaders create unity not through hierarchy or alignment slides, but through belief — shared ownership of the outcome. When people feel seen, appreciated, and valued, they push further. They stay with the work. They bring others in. That is how transformation really happens.

Diana Nyad’s story is not about athleticism. It is about conviction. And about what it takes to keep going when you are tired, uncertain, and off course — but not done.

The leadership it takes to go the distance is not about perfection or having the right answer. It is about showing up — with clarity, preparation, self-awareness, perseverance, and unity — and helping others do the same.