Walk Into the Future

Marathon Training and Leadership: The Journey Matters

“Don’t dream of winning, train for it.”

(Mo Farah)

My Walk into the Future continues at the halfway point of 2026. This year has been exciting for me as I explore new adventures and topics for my readers. Please note, these adventures and topics are exciting to me and I’m happy to share with you—hopefully you are enjoying the journey so far in 2026.

Shoutout to Lauren for accepting a new role within the Villanova University Career Center—well done my friend! 😊

I started reflecting on how to compare training for a marathon and leadership. There are a few things that both have in common. At first glance, marathon training and leadership may seem worlds apart. One involves logging miles on roads and trails, while the other focuses on guiding people and organizations toward success. However, the more time I spend pursuing both, the more I realize they share many of the same principles.

Success in both begins with a vision. No huge revelation there, huh? Nobody wakes up one morning and accidentally completes a marathon. The journey begins with a clear goal and a commitment to achieving it. Leadership works the same way. Effective leaders establish a vision, communicate it clearly, and create a plan to move forward.

Whether training for 26.2 miles or leading a team through a challenging project, success starts by knowing where you want to go. Many new runners believe success comes from one great workout. Experienced marathoners know that consistent training over time produces results. Success as a leader follows the same pattern.

The most respected leaders are not the people who deliver occasional moments of brilliance. They consistently show up, communicate effectively, support their teams, and make sound decisions day after day. These small daily actions consistently create outstanding outcomes for the team. How do you build an ant hill—one grain of sand at a time! 😊

Every marathon training plan includes periods where progress feels slow. There are days when the miles feel difficult, motivation is low, and improvement seems invisible. Leadership presents similar daily challenges. Organizational change takes time. Team development takes time. Building trust takes time. Great leaders understand that meaningful progress rarely happens overnight. They remain committed to the process even when immediate results are not apparent.

Every marathon includes difficult runs and occasional bad weather. Every leader faces obstacles as they attempt to move the team and organization forward. In training, challenging workouts strengthen the body and mind. In leadership, difficult conversations, unexpected setbacks, and periods of uncertainty develop resilience and character. The challenges we face often become the experiences that prepare us for future success.

Although marathon runners cross the finish line individually, their success is often supported by coaches, training partners, family members, and friends. Thanks Jayla, Lauren and Lynn! 😊

Leadership is no different. Strong leaders recognize that success is a collective effort. They invest in relationships, empower others, and understand that accomplishments are rarely achieved in isolation. The strongest leaders know how to build strong teams.

Marathon training includes many small victories before race day: completing a long run, reaching a new distance, or achieving a personal best. Leadership journeys should include celebrations as well. Recognizing progress boosts morale, reinforces positive behaviors, and reminds teams that their efforts matter. Success is not just about reaching the finish line—it is about appreciating the journey.

Marathon training has taught me lessons that extend far beyond running. It has reinforced the value of discipline, resilience, patience, and purpose—qualities that define effective leadership. Both journeys require commitment and demand perseverance. And both remind us that the most rewarding accomplishments are earned one step at a time. This seems to be a recurring theme. 😊

As you continue your own leadership journey, remember that progress is made through consistent forward movement. Just like a marathon, leadership is not a sprint. It is a long-term commitment to growth, improvement, and helping others reach their potential.

Keep moving forward. Your future is waiting.

Irie!

Calvin Williams

“Everything you wanted to know about yourself, you can learn in 26.2 miles.”

(Dr. George Sheehan)

July 9, 2026

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Power of Mutual Growth

(ChatGPT designed image)

“No man will make a great leader who want to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”

(Andrew Carnegie)

The Walk into the Future blog pivoted to more leadership content in the past few weeks. This is not surprising as I look to expand my leadership consulting program and reach potential clients with my content.

Proverbs 27:17 highlight one of my favorite leadership principles: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Iron becomes sharper only through friction. In the same way, leaders grow through relationships and situations that challenge their thinking, stretch their abilities, and refine their character.

The normal trend is for leaders to surround themselves with people who simply agree with every decision. While agreement may feel comfortable, it rarely produces growth. The best leaders intentionally seek colleagues, mentors, and team members who ask difficult questions, offer honest feedback, and encourage continuous improvement.

General Colin Powell has a specific leadership rule that I leverage daily with my team. General Powell states, “If you agree with everything I say then one of us is redundant.” I love that quote! 😊

Healthy leadership isn’t about avoiding friction—it’s about embracing constructive conversations that make everyone stronger. Great teams operate with this mindset. They celebrate successes, challenge for improvements and hold everyone accountable with respect and trust. Their goal isn’t to win arguments; it’s to help shape everyone into better leaders.

Authentic leaders should ask the following questions:

Who sharpens me?
Who am I sharpening?
Am I creating an environment where honest feedback is welcomed rather than feared?

Leadership is not about standing above others. It is about growing alongside the team members. When leaders intentionally sharpen one another, organizations become stronger, cultures become healthier, and people reach their full potential.

As you walk into the future, don’t seek people who simply tell you what you want to hear. Seek those who challenge you to become the leader you were created to be.

My final thoughts highlight leadership is about developing people, not just directing them. The strongest leaders are the ones who continually sharpen themselves while helping sharpen others in their workspace.

Who did YOU sharpen today?

Irie!

Calvin Williams

“Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead.”

(Pete Hoekstra)

July 2, 2026

Leadership Lessons from Twelve O’clock High

(ChatGPT generated image)

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”

(Ken Blanchard)

The Walk into the Future blog is leaning into leadership more this year. This is not a major revelation, but I wanted to ensure that my readers are ready for additional doses of leadership wisdom. The blog content is developed through life experiences and thoughts that I want to share. I kept playing a leadership lesson I learned from the movie Twelve O’clock High on repeat during one of my 8-mile runs recently.

I was introduced to this movie during a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Leadership Academy I attended while stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan (Okinawa). The academy was designed to prepare future leaders in the best way to ensure career and professional development. This academy is a steppingstone for airmen who have been identified as the future of leadership. I never saw Twelve O’clock High prior to this training, but I have watched it multiple times over the years and continue to learn new lessons from the movie.

The message I got from Twelve O’clock High is that effective leadership requires strength and compassion, especially when the leader is under pressure. The movie follows Brigadier General (BG) Frank Savage, played by Gregory Peck as he takes command of a demoralized bomber group during World War II. At first, his leadership style appears harsh and demanding, but the movie gradually reveals several themes to his leadership style.

Leadership can be viewed as lonely because leaders must make difficult decisions that may not be popular with the team. BG Savage is forced to prioritize the overall mission and the welfare of the organization over personal friendships and comfort.

A high performing organization requires accountability. The movie highlights that excellence is achieved through discipline, clear standards, and holding people accountable, even when doing so is uncomfortable.

The movie highlights the concept that people can rise above what they think they can do. Many of the airmen believed they had reached their limits, but BG Savage brought them strong leadership and renewed confidence. They discovered greater resilience than they thought possible.

One of the movie’s most powerful messages is that leaders carry emotional burdens. BG Savage appears tough, but the strain of responsibility eventually affects him as well. The film shows that courage is not the absence of stress or fear.

The movie demonstrates that great leaders must care about results and people simultaneously. Being overly soft can hurt performance, but being overly rigid can damage morale.

The movie continues to attract viewers even though it is set during World War II. The movie is frequently used in leadership training because the lessons apply to business, education, government, and nonprofit organizations. It explores how leaders transform struggling teams, build trust, and sustain performance during periods of intense change and uncertainty.

This classic movie shows great leadership means inspiring ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things while carrying the weight of responsibility with integrity and courage.

Twelve O’clock High remains one of my favorite movies for the content and leadership lessons from BG Savage. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enhance their leadership skills.

What’s another movie that depicts what great leadership looks like?

Irie!

Calvin Williams

“Leadership is vision, influence, and execution.”

(Brad Lomenick)

Top of Form

June 25, 2026

Happy Friday! Enjoy the reblog!

Poetic Flow: Life

June 19, 2026

Nashville in pictures

“To travel is to live.”

(Hans Christian Andersen)

The running tourist returned to Nashville for the 2026 Rock N Roll Half Marathon back in April.

Here are a few of the sights and scenes from my trip–enjoy! 😊

(Honky Tonks on Broadway)

(Opry Mills)

(Downtown NashVegas!)

I’m looking forward to my return trip to Nashville! 😊

Irie!

Calvin Williams

June 18, 2026

2026 Nashville Half Marathon

“What a glorious battle we had today.”

(Calvin Williams)

The quote above is directly from me! Yes, Lynn, I am quoting myself now on the blog. 😊

My Walk into the Future allowed me to head back up to Nashville, Tennessee for the 2026 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon. This was my eighth time with this glorious battle, and I have already signed up for #9 in 2027. I love Nashville and battling the hills and heat are a byproduct of running this race.

The glorious battle concept is listed because I didn’t have the best training cycle preparing for this year’s race. I’m always training but didn’t get in my normal bridge runs as part of my preparation. This is an easy lesson to remember but I didn’t make the time to get up and down on the bridges this year. Fun fact, I signed up for the 2027 version as soon as I got back to my hotel after this run. I’ve also started with my bridge repeats just to make sure my fitness levels are back where I expect them to be. 😊

I changed my routine and flew out of Palm Beach International (PBI) Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida instead of my normal Orlando flights. PBI is only 50 minutes from my house in Fort Pierce and had better flight times than Orlando this year. I had a short layover in Atlanta, but the flight times got me to Nashville around 10:30 am. I was able to pick up my rental car without any issues and made the short drive to downtown Nashville to check out the race EXPO.

I love this EXPO because they bring in a lot of local vendors and have product demos available. I always make my way to the massage areas to see what’s new in that space. I was able to try out leg compression sleeves for about 30 minutes while in the EXPO area. The salespeople are good, but I didn’t purchase a pair. I got my race bib and goody bag and made my way over to Broadway for food, beer and live music.

My first stop was at Rippy’s Honky Tonk for some BBQ, beer and live music. This venue is right on the corner, so it is a great place to watch people walk up and down Broadway. The Stage was my next stop because I love the sound system there and people are friendly. The morning bands are not as good as the later acts but there was a good vibe, and people were dancing at noon on a Friday. Nashville is a great place!

Luke Comb’s, Category Ten was my ultimate stop for the day. This venue replaced the old Wildhorse Saloon, but they did not get rid of the line dancing lessons. They have line dance instructors who lead guests every hour and show two different line dances. Most of the dances they teach are new to me so it’s great the instructors walk you through each one step by step before turning us loose with music. Most people are surprised to see me on the dance floor kicking up my heels, but I love this venue, the music and the people. Yeehaw! 😊

I followed the instructors through two separate line dance sessions and decided to head to my hotel on the Westend to get off my feet and prepare for the battle the next morning. I took a chance and changed from my normal hotel to a brand-new Residence Inn less than a block from where I normally stay. I love the Westend because once you park you can explore the area by walking around and taking in the sights. The Westend has more of a community feel so you can mix and mingle with locals in the bars.

I got to bed early so I could get ready for the Nashville hills on race day. My hotel was a little over a mile from the race start line and I use the walk down as part of my warmup. I arrived at the race site with plenty of time to warm up and stretch. I also followed one of my traditions and made a stop at the First Baptist Church to soak in their hospitality. The church is open to runners and spectators to provide a convenient place to get water, relax and go to the bathroom. The church members are super friendly, and I met the head pastor this year while waiting to go into the bathroom. It’s always great to interact with the First Baptist Church folks!

I made my way to my start corral to mentally lock in for the hills, heat and miles. It was a bit warmer than normal this year but everyone in the start corrals had smiles on their faces and got ready to run NashVegas.

First forward a bit and my first mile went by with a 9:38 pace. Fun fact, this was the fastest mile split I would run on the day. ☹ I didn’t fall apart but there was no extra gear coming today. I realized at the Mile 5 marker that this was not going to be a fast day, so I decided to enjoy the race, the crowds and the sights. I’ve run this race multiple times but I never looked up to see how beautiful the Belmont University campus was. It was like I was seeing the campus for the first time when in fact I just never looked up to take in ALL the sights. I almost stopped to take pictures but that would have taken the running tourist moniker a bit farther. 😊

I finished the half marathon with a little kick and a small smile on my face this year. I knew I didn’t train specifically for this race so decided not to beat myself up based on my time. The effort was there; I just need to match that with the correct training cycle. The 2027 race will be my redemption tour and get me back to running fast in Nashville.

I got my customary photos and beer in the race village before walking back across the bridge to get food. My go to spot after the half marathon is ACME Feed and Seed which sits right on the Cumberland River. I got fried chicken, collard greens and macaroni and cheese bowl. It tastes better each year when I get it. I took a slow walk back to my hotel after lunch to recover, stretch and take a nap.

The rest of my time in Nashville was dedicated to live music, beer drinking and shopping. I made two stops to one of my favorite spots, The Midtown Café. This is an outstanding breakfast and lunch spot. I always find a seat at the bar and enjoy watching the locals come in and out. I recommend this spot if you make your way to Nashville.

Well, that’s my recap of my annual trip to Nashville. I’m looking forward to get back up there for a Titans football game later this year. There may be another Nashville article coming this year. 😊

Irie!

Calvin Williams

June 11, 2026

Ellucian Live 2026

“A podcast is a great way to develop relationships with hard-to-reach people.”

(Tim Paige)

My Walk into the Future provides a viable platform to share information and my thoughts. I never imagined I would still be blogging eight years from my first article. Thanks to everyone who reads my work!

Ellucian Live 2026 was held in Denver, Colorado this year and this was my second time attending. We made an appearance last year in Orlando, Florida for the same event. Fun fact, Denver is one of my favorite cities and I was excited to get back out there. I was also a featured panelist with several of my outstanding teammates at Indian River State College.

The Ellucian team has been working with Indian River State College on implementing the Banner ERP system. We have been at this for over two years now and the Ellucian representative thought it would be worthwhile for my teammates and me to share some of our Change Management lessons learned during the implementation process.

I never turn down an opportunity to spread Authentic Leadership, and this was an outstanding platform for me to share my thoughts. The panel was moderated by our Ellucian Change Management partner and one of our internal Project Managers. Both ladies are brilliant and leaders in the field of Change Management. We were in great hands for the panel! Thanks, Cathy! 😊

Our panel was scheduled for the first day of the conference and provided us with a prime-time slot , location and access to reach a large audience. Again, we were not sure how many people wanted to hear from a small school in Florida, but our session was full. We had folks from around the country and a few international attendees as well. A nice surprise for the team.

We started the panel with team introductions, so everyone knew who we were and our roles on the team. The panel flowed into questions from our moderators so we could share our thoughts and actions to ensure we had a good Change Management program. I am proud of my teammates for their knowledge and willingness to share their expertise with the attendees. The final 15 minutes were a questions and answers session where attendees grabbed a microphone and asked questions specific to their locations. This was fun for me because it allowed us to come off script a bit and provide real-time solutions for other schools.

We all got an invite to attend another regional conference to share with other groups. I have not seen the written invitation for this request, but we are available to speak with anyone who wants us to join them. Yes, share with anyone you know looking for panelists, key notes and breakout session. 😊There were several folks who came up to speak with us after the panel was over to share contact information and ask follow questions.

My Vice President, Beth Gaskin and I left the panel and headed to our next speaking engagement of the day. We got invited to do the EdUp Experience podcast which was hosted in the lobby of the Denver Convention Center. This session was not scripted, so we fielded questions about leadership, culture building, fun in the work environment and our thoughts on the future of Higher Education. This was an outstanding experience for us, and we had a ball sharing insight with another audience. I’m not sure how many people follow this podcast, but it is a great platform to learn from professionals making positive things happen.

Give our episode a run here: https://www.edupexperience.com/calvinandbeth/. I’m looking forward to getting another invite to speak on this great platform. No pressure, Dr. Jodi Blinco! 😊

We are always looking for adventures and discovered Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube were playing at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Beth got tickets for the show, and we were off to take in the Red Rocks sights and see two Hip Hop legends in concert. The Red Rocks venue was breathtaking as advertised. The seating is built into the rocks and there was not a bad seat in the venue. We were able to rap along with the Hip Hop legends and enjoyed the show. The entire Marley family is playing Red Rocks in June. I may have to get back there to check them out.

I was able to get in a good run session to test myself against the altitude in Denver. The thin air was a welcome change from the Florida humidity. I was able to handle the altitude without much issue, but I could tell a difference in my breathing after my three-mile journey. It would be great to have altitude training available on a regular basis.