The Pendulum Always Swings

By Matt Gerrell

Fractional CMO | President & Founder, Gerrell Collective

Years ago, I was in one of those stretches every leader knows too well. Long hours, relentless meetings, and more pressure than perspective. I was a young Vice President, still trying to make a name for myself, standing outside of the CEO’s office next to his Sr. Executive Administrator. She was typing away, and we started talking, then she said one of the greatest leadership lessons I have ever learned.

“Don’t worry Matt, the pendulum always swings.”

Of course, I only had one response; “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She leaned forward and shrugged. “Things always come back around. The good, the bad. None of it stays where it is forever. You must stay steady while it swings.”

At the time, it sounded simple, even cliché. But the longer I’ve led, the more I realize she was right.

Leadership has a rhythm. There are seasons of momentum where everything clicks; the team’s inspired, growth feels effortless, and you can practically feel the tailwind. Your superiors love you and cannot congratulate you enough. And then, inevitably, it shifts. The energy dips. Results flatten. The same moves that worked last quarter suddenly stalled out. Pressures increase, tensions become palpable, you are swimming as fast as you can, but don’t feel like you are getting anywhere.

That’s the swing.

The hardest part isn’t the ups or the downs; it’s not losing who you are.

• When things are good, stay humble. Don’t assume the pendulum will stay on your side forever.

• When things are hard, stay patient. Don’t assume it won’t come back.

That’s what leadership really is, holding steady through the motion.

Every time I’ve been tempted to panic, to overcorrect, or to question everything, I can still hear her voice in my head: “The pendulum always swings.”

And she was right.

It always does.