Higher Performance Insights | Dead Time Walking
November 26, 2024
When James Bond Stockdale was downed over enemy territory during the Vietnam War, few could have anticipated the hardship he would endure during his eight years of captivity—or the inspiration he would become after his liberation.
An avid reader of Greek philosophy, Stockdale routinely turned to Epictetus’s writings, particularly his collection of works compiled by Arrian in The Enchiridion. [1] His reflection on those learnings would prove invaluable during his capture.
To cope with routine torture and beatings at the hands of his captors, Stockdale gained “moral leverage,” as he called it, by reminding himself of the trichotomy of control—his aims, his aversions, his judgments about what was going on.
But what’s most interesting about the Admiral isn’t his indomitable will or capacity for pain. Rather, it was his ability to harness “alive time.”
Coined by Robert Green and popularized by Ryan Holiday, dead time occurs when we are passive and waiting. By contrast, alive time—that which is within our control—happens when we’re learning and improving and growing.
Most of us likely won’t ever have to ensure veterans’ hardships like Stockdale, but we will encounter times when we feel like time is out of our hands. Waiting in line. Working a job you hate. Preparing for an exam that in no way will further your future career.
In moments like these, we can choose to feel impatient or resentful, or angry. Put another way, allow ourselves to default to dead time. Or we can choose alive time and think about a problem we’re trying to solve or a goal we’re trying to attain.
As Holiday writes in Ego is the Enemy, “Dead time is revived when we use it as an opportunity to do what we’ve long needed to do.” [2]
The question is, how long will you wait until you do what you’ve been putting off?
Footnotes
[2} Ego is the Enemy: The Right to Maser Our Greatest Opponent by Ryan Holiday
Team Discussion Question
In what ways are you collectively choosing to wait rather than act, and what's the true cost of this passive time to your organization?
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Leading Forward Together The burro racers of New Mexico demonstrate that success isn't about domination—it's about creating genuine partnerships, building trust, and navigating challenging terrain together. This lesson feels especially relevant as schools and colleges face unprecedented challenges. Educational reforms imposed without stakeholder buy-in typically fail, while those developed through authentic partnership gain momentum even through difficult implementation phases. For a deeper look at this fascinating sport and its surprising parallels to educational leadership, read the full AP News article: Burro racing wins over runners in backcountry ode to mining history YOUR TURN Consider a persistent challenge in your educational community where progress seems stalled. What if resistance isn't obstruction but a signal of caution or a desire for clarity? What might your stakeholders be sensing that you haven't yet recognized? How might approaching this challenge through partnership rather than authority create new possibilities? Share a time when listening to resistance actually improved an initiative. What did you learn about leadership through that experience? Like the burro racers navigating historic mining trails, effective educational leaders honor tradition while forging new paths forward—not by commanding, but by partnering. References Associated Press. (2025, May 3). Burro racing wins over runners in backcountry ode to mining history. AP News. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/wild-burro-racing-donkey-mining-new-mexico-9f20f6736401139529c8946162b97046 Fullan, M. (2019). Nuance: Why some leaders succeed and others fail. Corwin Press. Hargreaves, A., & O'Connor, M. T. (2018). Collaborative professionalism: When teaching together means learning for all. Corwin Press. Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press. Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Weigand, S. (2025, May 3). Personal interview. Cerrillos Burro Race, New Mexico.
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(2023). The definitive guide to leadership development. Bersin Research. Center for Creative Leadership. (2025). K-12 educational leadership training. CCL.org . Deloitte Insights. (2025). Higher education trends. Deloitte. Development Dimensions International. (2024). Leadership bench research. DDI. EDUCAUSE. (2025). Teaching and learning workforce in higher education. EDUCAUSE. Forward Pathway. (2025). Navigating chaos in higher education. Forward Pathway. Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2025). K-12 system leadership. Harvard. Learning Policy Institute. (2017). School leadership: Investing in leadership for learning. LPI. LinkedIn. (2023). Workplace learning report: Building the agile future. LinkedIn Learning. Training Magazine. (2025). Trends in learning, development, and leadership. Training Magazine. University Business. (2025). Navigating challenges in higher education. University Business.