Don’t Let Them Steal Your Joy: A CAO’s Reflection

Starting Lines Matter

In running, it’s the moment you press “start” and take your first strides. In leadership, it’s the choice to step into the arena every day — to show up, to guide, to serve. Both beginnings require courage and, often, a reminder that joy is found not only in the finish line but also in the motion itself.

The Joy of Leadership

Joy in leadership doesn’t always look like celebration. Sometimes it’s found in small wins: a resident who feels heard, a team member who grows in confidence, or a project that quietly comes together after months of effort. Like a run, these moments don’t demand perfection; they ask for presence. Recognizing them turns routine into meaning.

Too often, leaders feel they must appear serious at all times, as though joy and credibility cannot coexist. But joy is not a liability — it is an asset. When I laugh easily, when I celebrate, when I find wonder outside the walls of town hall, I am not less of a leader. I am more of one. Because joy is contagious. It lightens the weight others carry, and it gives permission for colleagues and residents to bring their whole selves to the work too.

How We Steal Our Own Joy

As a runner, I’ve compared myself to others — faster, stronger, fitter. As a leader, the same trap exists. We measure our worth against neighboring municipalities, against larger budgets, against outcomes beyond our control. Comparison robs us of noticing what is going well. Worse still, it wastes energy that could be invested in building up our people and communities.

Joy is not naïve optimism; it is an act of stewardship. It’s choosing to notice progress rather than deficits, potential rather than impossibility.

Reframing the Run

A coach once reframed running for me: don’t run to “lose” stress or weight, run to “gain” peace or strength. Leadership is no different. If we focus only on what we must shed — conflict, inefficiency, criticism — we will miss the chance to build resilience, innovation, and trust. Reframing the “why” behind our leadership protects our joy and makes it sustainable.

Joy Amidst Complexity

Leadership, like running, holds paradoxes. You can feel joy and sadness simultaneously — proud of a staff member’s growth, yet sad they’re moving on. Satisfied with a budget passed, but worried about the compromises it required. These feelings don’t cancel one another; they coexist. Acknowledging this complexity is not weakness — it’s human, and it’s honest leadership.

Passing the Baton

Every finish line is just another starting line. Each council meeting, each fiscal year, each community milestone and this time of year, every term of council— they conclude, but they also launch the next challenge. Our task as leaders is to carry joy forward, to hand it off like a baton so others can run further than we did.

Leadership doesn’t require us to dim our light to be taken seriously. We can serve with strength, make hard decisions, and still be people who laugh, run, and rejoice. Having fun does not make us less credible; it makes us more human. And in that humanity lies our greatest ability to connect, to inspire, and to brighten the lives of those around us. We can be leaders and shine bright at the same time.

Occasionally, Strategic Steps invites guest blog posts from our colleagues. This post was created by Jody Murray, the CAO of the Town of Portugal Cove – St. Philips on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are grateful for her contribution.

If you have comments, you can reach Strategic Steps at info@strategicsteps.ca