As leaders, we often wear our work ethic like a badge of honor. Early mornings, late nights, back-to-back meetings, strategy calls, high-stakes decisions. It can feel like our entire identity is wrapped up in what we do. But let’s be honest. When your world becomes only about work, you don’t just risk burnout, you risk losing the parts of yourself that bring color, joy, and creativity to the table.

That’s where hobbies come in.

In every organization, there is always that person — the one who needs a standing ovation for doing the bare minimum, who announces every contribution like it is a press release, who is addicted to the spotlight. And while it is easy to roll our eyes at the glory hungry, the real issue lies not with them but with the way leadership responds.

The problem is not that some people want to be recognized. The problem is that there are others who consistently show up, deliver excellence, and go above and beyond, and their leader barely notices.

Let us talk about them.

One of the most underrated but powerful skills a leader can possess is the courage to say what everyone is thinking but no one wants to say. In many organizations, especially high-pressure or politically sensitive environments, leaders tend to walk carefully around the truth. Instead of addressing the real issue head-on, they lean on surface-level explanations like "Maybe it is just a communication issue" or "It is probably a training gap." But when you take a step back, it becomes clear that the issue is deeper and far more obvious than anyone is willing to admit. There it is, the elephant in the room. Loud. Uncomfortable. Impossible to ignore. And yet, it often goes unaddressed.

Let’s be honest. “He said, she said” is playground behavior, not leadership. Yet far too often, we see people in positions of power reverting to immature tactics: whispering in corners, stirring the pot with separate side conversations, and playing messenger in a never-ending cycle of miscommunication. This type of fragmented leadership does not just create confusion, it weakens teams, damages culture, and undermines trust.

True leadership is not about controlling the narrative behind closed doors. It is about addressing the situation openly, directly, and professionally, even when the conversation is uncomfortable. Especially then.

There was a time when "hustle culture" ruled the narrative. Where sleepless nights were worn as badges of honor and phrases like “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” echoed across boardrooms and brainstorming sessions. But let’s be real. This era of glorifying burnout is outdated, unsustainable, and, frankly, dangerous.