Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor — Take Care of Yourself, Grow Your Company
When you think of a successful founder, what comes to mind? Maybe someone with a grand vision, technical chops, a great sales person, or all three.
Or maybe it’s someone obsessed. Who needs sleep, family, or balance when you have a product that can change the world?
There are a few founder myths that just won’t die, and the romanticization of burnout is one of the most dangerous.
Even as wellness is baked into our lexicon and self-care is touted to men and alike, business owners are encouraged to hustle harder, and protect their customers and team from the intense pressure it takes to grow.
Y Combinator’s Sam Altman says it all:
There is a huge amount of pressure as a founder to never show weakness and to be the cheerleader in all internal and external situations.
Founders are constantly encouraged to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of investors, growth, and the team.
But pressure can’t keep building forever — there’s an inevitable break.
What’s burnout costing us?
When I think of burnout, I tend to imagine a manic state with a big blowout ending (remember Britney Spears in 2007?).
But it doesn’t have to be that dramatic. The Mayo Clinic describes burnout as:
A state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”
And research shows it usually presents as three types of symptoms:
- Exhaustion, both physical and emotional
- Cynicism, or lack of involvement and connection
- Inefficacy, aka incessantly spinning wheels
It’s important to note that stress is unavoidable, and for many its fuel to push past our own boundaries. But cumulative stress and subsequent burnout is harmful to you and the business.
46% entrepreneurs say anxiety and cumulative stress gets in the way of their work.
Founders with early or growth stage companies are more likely to report mental health concerns than their counterparts whose businesses were “mature.”
It can affect decision-making, team productivity, and ability to hit targets and grow to the next stage.
But burnout isn’t something that founders need to resign to. It’s something they need to recognize and actively work to avoid.
And that starts with debunking a few founder myths that got us here.
Myth #1: Great founders are lone rangers
The reality: no leader achieves success alone.
There’s a mythology around the sole innovator in startupland, and — even with co-founders of a team — founders have to soldier on alone to protect their company.
Some say there’s no space for vulnerability with your team or investors when you’re aiming for growth over everything else, but that just means you need to find another outlet to speak candidly.
As you and your business change, you just have to find a group of people that understand what you’re going through. And those people may not be your longtime friends, your partner or even co-workers.
Find a founder circle that challenges you and helps you make key decisions.
Used by creative thinkers from Ben Franklin to Sara Blakely, noncompetitive peer groups are proven to move leaders forward — it’s critical to hear that you’re not alone, and the internet will just tell you that everyone is “killing it.”
These are people you can turn to when you’re managing the unknown for everyone else, just make sure you have the structure to connect and share challenges frequently — not just when things go wrong.
Building is lonely — don’t make it harder on yourself.
Myth #2: Great founders are born to lead
The reality: no one knows how to do this stuff. Everyone learns by doing.
Leadership is not an innate trait. It requires work, learning from others who are ahead of you, and regularly reviewing, then refining your own behavior.
If you just keep running, you may eventually run into a brick wall. But when you refine how you do things, you can identify when you’re standing in your own way.
One of the best ways to refine your leadership is by setting goals — I like to use an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework, popularized by Google.
Setting ambitious goals and making every effort to achieve them is helpful, but understanding why things happen is where the real magic lies.
When you don’t achieve a goal, analyze why.
- No time?
- No energy?
- Lack of know-how?
- Fear of failure?
Shared by Cathy Yardley, these four areas can help you understand how your brain works, then reverse engineer your own future success.
Myth #3: Great founders are relentless
The reality: leaders build for success.
They don’t wait for things to fall into place by accident — they generate energy to keep going. And a proven way to generate energy is to create a routine that you enjoy.
Your routine doesn’t need to include waking up at 5am or meditating for hours, it just needs to include daily activities that help your body and brain feel strong.
For some, that’s going on a walk or exercising. For others, it’s starting with morning pages to get their brain humming or taking the time to cook a delicious breakfast for the family.
Write down 2–3 ideas of what generates energy for you, then create a plan for how to bookend your day. Even if the bulk of your day is crazy, you have a plan to start and end in a way that serves you.
When you manage the unknown, you ship more great work.
Burnout isn’t a marker of dedication — it’s a sign of short-term thinking.
When you take care of yourself, you create a better long-term future for your company and your team.
Want to find your crew of fellow founders? Check out Facet. We’re a close-knit community where first-time founders tackle their hardest challenges, manage the unknown, and grow faster alongside their peers.
