The Surprising Secret to Surviving a Crisis: Why This CEO Told His Team to Go for a Walk

Most leaders would have demanded 80-hour weeks. We focused on trust and rest instead—and ran faster than ever.

When a business faces a massive crisis, the traditional leadership playbook usually calls for “all hands on deck.” We’ve been conditioned to believe that extreme challenges require 80-hour workweeks, canceled vacations, and endless pots of coffee.

But Prince Kohli, CEO of Sauce Labs and former CTO of Automation Anywhere, argues for the exact opposite. In his recent Entrepreneur article, “Why I Told My Team to Take Walks During Our Biggest Crisis,” Kohli shares a counterintuitive strategy that didn’t just save his team during the COVID-19 pandemic—it made them faster and more innovative than ever.

Leading Through a 600% Surge

During the onset of the pandemic, Automation Anywhere saw demand for its cloud products skyrocket by 600% almost overnight. With businesses scrambling to automate operations for a remote world, the pressure on Kohli’s team was immense. Investors were worried about productivity and burnout.

Instead of demanding more hours, Kohli told his team to step away. He encouraged them to take walks, read books, and pursue hobbies. While it may have looked like “slacking” to an outsider, it was actually a calculated move based on two pillars: trust and science.

The Power of the “Step Back”

Kohli points to research from San Francisco State University showing that people who engage in creative or physical hobbies outside of work perform 15–30% better on evaluations.

We often think of creativity as a tap we can turn on, but the best ideas usually come when we aren’t looking for them. Kohli recalls making a pivotal strategic decision for Sauce Labs—shifting the company’s focus toward AI-based testing—not in a high-pressure boardroom, but while on a 10-mile hike. Movement and open space provide the mental “clutter-clearing” necessary to see the big picture.

Eat the Frog, Then Hit the Trail

Of course, Kohli isn’t advocating for laziness. His philosophy relies on a productivity classic: “Eat the frog.”

The concept is simple: identify the hardest, most daunting task on your plate and finish it first thing in the morning. By knocking out the most stressful item early, you reclaim the mental energy that would otherwise be spent on dread and procrastination. Once the “frog” is eaten, Kohli suggests that is the perfect time to take that walk. This rhythm creates a cycle of high-intensity output followed by high-quality recovery.

The Takeaway for Leaders

The most profound lesson from Kohli’s experience is the importance of trust. In a crisis, the instinct to micromanage is strong. However, Kohli found that when you give employees autonomy and encourage their well-being, they work harder—not because they are being watched, but because they feel valued.

As we navigate an increasingly fast-paced and unpredictable business landscape, Kohli’s advice is a vital reminder: We are humans, not machines. If you want your team to run a marathon, you have to let them breathe.

Next time you’re facing a mountain of work and the stress starts to peak, take a page out of Kohli’s book. Eat your frog, shut your laptop, and go for a walk. Your best ideas might just be waiting for you on the trail.

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