What I learned from the inchworm on leadership

Andrew Bissot
Aug 4
3 min read

I recently found myself frustrated when progress was not happening as quickly as I had hoped. The stagnant aspects of a project mattered deeply to our organization, and the lack of progress prompted me to reassess my approach. From my perspective, we had laid the groundwork, the strategy, and had the resources. But it was not taking off.

Reflecting, maybe the foundation lacked traction. Was I too focused on the end goal and failed to establish attainable milestones to build necessary momentum? It wasn’t the speed I was after. I wanted a signal that we were making progress.

As I sat on the patio contemplating my next step to lead this project, I noticed a small, gentle movement crawling across the patio floor. An inchworm tugged at my attention with quiet and unexpected curiosity.

Turns out, it was the larval stage of a Geometrid moth and referred to as an inchworm. The name “Geometridae” comes from the Greek for “to measure the earth.” Fitting, their slender, looping movement creates the illusion of careful, calculated progress. The progress combines stretching, anchoring, pulling forward, and anchoring again before the next stretch. Each movement was repeatable and accurate in length to the preceding move. Only once the rear end is grounded just short of the head, the head end disengages its footing with confidence, stretching again for the next step.

The Metaphor for Leadership

I realized from the movement of the inchworm that leadership often follows the same rhythm. As leaders, we must stretch forward with a vision, yet coupled with manageable milestones for the team to reach. Not too far ahead that it feels unreachable and not so close that it fails to inspire momentum.

When the stretch milestone is established, the anchor is set. With this milestone, the team aligns and communicates. Without it, the rest of the organization hesitates and progress stalls. With it, the pull will begin.

This pull is the execution and the work. This pull is the rallying of the team to work through the adversity and the leader to lead with trust. The team makes the necessary progress, but will be just short of the leader’s vision. Excellence is achieved by committing to the process, while accepting that perfection is never achieved.

As the leader reflects on the progress made, the team accepts where they slightly fell short of perfection. This establishes the anchor to prepare again. With the alignment, the next stretch is about to begin at a demonstrated distance previously achieved.

SAPA: Stretch. Anchor. Pull. Anchor.

Each movement has a cadence:

Stretch – The leader looks ahead, identifying the next measurable milestone.
Anchor – The team plants its footing just short of the leader, ensuring understanding and alignment.
Pull – The followers make their move with execution and purpose.
Anchor – Progress is reinforced, with reflection and re-calibration, while preparing for a stretch distance demonstrated before.

This rhythm builds resilience. It allows for pauses to reflect on what worked, what did not, and where adjustments are needed. Those pauses are not delays but instead a catalyst. A catalyst for cohesion and the catalyst for sustainable momentum.