As I write this I must remind many people to heed what I say not what I do. I’m admittedly one of those startup workaholics that has driven myself to the doctors, and later this week the hospital, because I focused so much on work that I let my health go.
My good friend and bad ass startup chick, Denver Hutt, first drove me to re-examine the 120 hour a week lifestyle when news broke that the She-Ra of the startup community pushed too hard and ignored early onset signs of what is now stage 4 ovarian cancer.
While there are many nights that I work around the clock, there are thankfully equally as many that I don’t.
So what’s the “right” way?
We joke with other startup people all the time that if you’re not coding, writing, developing or working on business development 24 hours a day, you aren’t a real startup founder. We scoff at people that post Facebook updates saying they are having family time while you’re on the grind. Is it jealousy? Are we jealous of the other founders who have work/life balance? Sure sounds like it.
Well a new book called Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich suggests that working around the clock is actually a bad thing. In fact Eurich goes as far as to say, “We actually get stupider when we work too much.”
Dr. Eurich holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University. She’s spent her entire career working with organizations big and small to mold more effective leaders, and believe it or not it all starts with better time management.
Dr. Eurich’s approach to leadership is fresh, modern, and fun. Broken down into four easy-to-digest sections, the Bankable Leadership model “can help anyone become bankable-producing results while fostering a healthy work environment that ensures sustainable success,” says Dr. Eurich. “This balance between people and results lies at the heart of Bankable Leadership.” Based on over 70 years of science, Dr. Eurich helps leaders understand current—and sometimes surprising—research on the best ways to lead. “This is not fluff. The science of leadership is strong – and good leadership drives results.”
While most startup founders are going to be interested in what Eurich says about working too many hours, there are other entrepreneurial and startup myths and lessons explored in her book:
- 70% of leadership is learned and great leaders are made, not born.
- Why most companies don’t develop leadership skills effectively.
- How anyone can learn the principles of effective leadership, regardless of his or her background.
- How organizations can achieve prosperity with the Bankable Leadership model.
- Why companies treat employees like children and ways to change it.
- The differences between the “Cool Parent” Leader vs. the “Trail of Dead Bodies” Leader.
- What “Delusional Development” is and how it is killing many of today’s leaders.
Find out more about Bankable Leadership here at bankableleadership.com