Winning Work, Losing Life

 (2 min read)

Welcome to your WISE Words Newsletter -

Concept: When the business wins and the owner loses

I was speaking with a business owner who was hitting every goal the company had set. By any measure, she was winning. Yet she was quietly burning out, her health was beginning to suffer, and she told me plainly “this pace is unsustainable and something has to change.”

The cause sat inside the goals themselves. Every target the company had set required more of her time, so each win came at the expense of her life.

This happens when we plan the business separately from our lives. 

This time of year, many of us are deep in Q4 and 2027 planning, yet the owner's personal direction rarely enters the room.

A mature enterprise or public company should be able to run independently. In a founder-led company, the owner and the business remain closely intertwined, so the owner's personal involvement often shapes the company's goals whether they are discussed or not.

Once a company is established and the resources exist, personal sacrifice should no longer be the price of success. We can use that leverage to achieve both the business outcomes and the life we want.

Achieving both begins by knowing our desired involvement before we set goals. If the owner wants to step back, the plan should include the people or capital to make that possible. This allows the leadership team to grow the business without the owner as the bottleneck, and gives the owner the Return on Life Experience™ they desire.

Reflection: When do your personal plans and your business plans get reviewed together?

We review the company on a regular rhythm, yet our personal direction rarely enters the conversation.

Where have you set a business goal that requires more of your time than you want to give?

First Action: Before your next planning session, write down what has changed in your personal life this year and the level of involvement you want in the company going forward. 

Bring both into the room when goals are being set. Doing so allows the plan to deliver the business outcomes you want without sacrificing your personal desires.