A leader who never admits being tired teaches everyone else to fake it too.

Whatever the person in front models becomes the group’s rule about what is allowed. Hide your limits and everyone quietly learns that limits are shameful, so they hide theirs, and nobody finds out anything is wrong until something breaks. Admitting you are worn out is not a collapse. It is information, and it gives other people permission to hand you theirs.

Say the honest version once this week: that you are tired, or that the last stretch was harder than it looked. Say it plainly and keep going. Notice how quickly somebody else tells you the truth about their own load.