I was chatting with someone from a startup last year, where it is normal for team members to put in extra long hours (60+ hour weeks). The founder and CEO said, “I wish it wasn’t like this, but it is what we need to do right now.” I was a bit shocked by this. He knew it was not healthy but did not see any alternative.
Marvin
Let me tell you a story about Marvin (name changed). Marvin was the model employee. No matter what the deadline, Marvin always seemed to be able to make it. He worked long hours regularly to keep up this pace. We were working in a startup environment, so some overtime was expected.
After several particularly challenging projects, I noticed signs of Marvin burning out. It was not just the late-night coding. His work became sloppy. He missed many obvious things that he should have known. He created overly complicated systems. He spent lots of time on things that did not matter, neglecting the most important things. He was chaotic and not operating in control.
I raised my concern with the CEO (Marvin and my boss) that Marvin was burning out. He dismissed the concerns, stating that he worked with Marvin for many years, he always worked like this, and it is just how he likes to work. Two weeks later in the middle of a critical project, Marvin suddenly quit with no warning.
As leaders, we set the pace for our teams. I still think of Marvin today when I encounter leaders who put these expectations on their team.
Slowing Down
Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity explains how we do our best work when we have time to think and reflect. Our ideas need space to breathe. If you work a 60-hour week, you are not giving yourself a chance to come up with a brilliant idea while taking a long hike.
How productive are those 60-hour weeks? Are you being effective with that amount of time week after week, or are you simply “putting in the time?”
A Better Way
You might ask, How can a startup compete without working crazy long hours? The answer is simple. Work smarter, not longer hours. This is done through prioritization. The first step is to understand what is truly important and what is simply nice to have. In addition to knowing what is important, you also need to understand how much time any task is worth. Is it worth spending 5 days working out every single detail of that article if it will be good enough after just one day?
A colleague of mine asked me one day, “How do you get so much work done? You must work crazy long hours or something.” I told them no. I try to keep to a regular working week. Occasionally, I will burn hard when there is a key milestone (we need to sprint) or when I get in the zone. I try to work on the things that bring the most value and spend only the time required on them.
The SCRUM methodology calls their iterations “Sprints”. I despise this term. Running a startup is not the hundred-meter dash. It is a marathon. You need to work at a pace that you can keep going for years to come. If not, you may one day end up like Marvin.
For leaders, do you want a Marvin on your team? Set the pace. Set the expectations. Your team will follow.