From Manager to Leader: The Day I Stopped Swimming

Why the Best Leaders Have Learned to Float Instead of Hustle

Reading time: 8 minutes | Last updated: December 2025

I was lying on a houseboat in Kerala when I realized I'd been managing my entire career—even the parts where my title said "leader."

The backwaters moved slowly around me. No agenda. No optimization. Just drift.

And my brain couldn't handle it.

"You should capture this. Journal the insight. Make it useful."

Even there—floating through one of the most beautiful places on earth—I was still MANAGING. Managing the moment. Managing the experience. Managing myself.

That's when it hit me: Managers swim. Leaders float.