Morning Coffee: Self-Sacrifice vs. Sustainability as an Entrepreneur

Time to “Buckle Down”

I was talking to a client today, and we discussed the opportunity to resolve a major problem in their business that needed attention. 

The tone of the team and the discussion centered around the idea that now was the time for them to “Buckle down, get to work, roll up their sleeves, and make sacrifices for a little while to resolve the issue.”

I questioned the idea that this time was any different than before, and I wondered (with them) about what they were really getting at in this moment. Is it that the team isn’t really working hard? Is it that the team isn’t working on the right things?

• What makes this time truly different than other times?
• What does self-sacrifice mean to you? 
• What is your connection between self-sacrifice and success? Are they linked?

I cautioned that self-sacrifice, a common trait among entrepreneurs, works to drive towards goals and is also unsustainable. 

The Drawbacks of Self-Sacrifice

When the setup for success is based on self-sacrifice…

1. You are thinking short term: Your focus is only on immediate fires, and being the hero to save the latest one. You lose perspective for your larger vision in pursuit of short-term fixes. 
2. You lose sense of who you are and what you want: Self-sacrifice is based on “giving up” part of you for a cause. Do the causes you truly care about mean giving up yourself in the process? 
3. There will always be more things to sacrifice for: There is always a new issue, fire, or problem that needs to be handled, and the more used to using the fire alarm as an incentive to act, the more you begin to rely on it. 
4. Self-sacrifice is Unsustainable: It drains your reserves, leaving you to lack the resources for the long game. It only works for so long, leads to burnout or team problems.

Crossing the Finish Line

In Olympic Skiing, it’s not just the person who finishes first who wins the race. It’s the person who didn’t get injured and was able to compete that day. 

You can’t win if you can’t compete tomorrow. 

Winners win sustainably over the long haul. 

Ownership, Choice, Freedom

You want to watch for the tone and energy of self-sacrifice on your teams. Other people will try and impose their need for it as fuel. 

If a team operates under the idea of self-sacrifice, it will create disconnection and isolation, preventing the development of a collaborative team environment characterized by connection, support, and even enjoyment while solving significant issues.

You might think back to a time when you achieved something without self-sacrifice. If you can think of one, then maybe these things are not as linked as they initially appear. 

Desire, excitement, team-work, responsibility, vision… these are all great motivators. When you pursue things from these motivations, you are less likely to put yourself in the frame of mind that this is “hard” and requires you to give up parts of yourself to get it.

Yes, there is work to be done. Also, it will take the long-term sustainable path of consistently showing up to work which will help resolve it, not short-term heroism.