Balancing On A Tightrope

Tales From A Professional Pivot Part 7. 

Exactly three years ago this month, I turned down a job offer from Amazon.  It was the hardest career choice of my life, even harder than my choice to become an entrepreneur.  I read this weekend's New York Times post about Amazon's workplace with great intrigue, and reflected on the choice I made then versus the one to build a new company.

I went into the Amazon decision with eyes wide open after spending weeks speaking with current and former employees. I learned that it wouldn't be the most lucrative job since compensation was tied to stock, and that the culture would be akin to my law school experience with constant oral and written challenges in a competitive atmosphere.  Even so, it felt like I got into an Ivy League grad school and would be joining a cohort that would give me the experience I yearned for.  In the end, my decision not to go was based on the fundamental question of life priorities, and it remains so today.  

Ironically, starting a business is the ultimate way to make your choice of life priorities.  I say ironically because most of the startup folklore says it takes maniacal dedication, 100 hours a week, no sleep and no family to make a new business work.  However, studies have repeatedly shown that working normal hours, with more sleep and time for exercise or play makes you a much more effective person.  I see it in my own health and stress level that the weeks I put in with late hours and little time for health or family results in a strained ecosystem.  

I'm so pleased to see the startup world embracing mental health, and articles like Brad Feld's on depression.  It takes strong personal discipline to make mental health a priority in your work, and anyone who says you need to work maniacal hours with no life is not looking out for your best interests.

Frankly, I am sickened to see investors blog about only funding entrepreneurs who are ‘maniacal competitors’ and have no work-life balance (although to Mark’s credit, he has also written on mental health).  I believe this limited perspective is just as discriminatory as not funding minority or women-led companies.  As a collegiate athlete (and law school student),  I can attest that being a driven competitor is first and foremost about having a sharp mental focus, not just your personal drive and ability.  Your entire physical and emotional ecosystem plays a major role in having that focus.  The fact is that a dictum from the CEO to place work above life has a significant ripple effect on the entire ecosystem around that person. This ripple effect spreads throughout the chain, even going so far as impacting our entire economy. (Similarly to  the movement to end quarterly earnings.)    The NY Times should have interviewed the families and friends of the current or former employees to capture that essence, and considered a control study with another successful company that has a culture of balance. 

I chose 'Balancing On A Tightrope' as the title and that picture of the Walenda family because this story is not about that one employee trying to stay balanced -- it also includes everyone that person carries on their shoulders.  CEO's (and their investors) get to set that tone, which is why my choice to become a CEO gave me the freedom to create my own priorities.  It takes tremendous discipline to focus on mental health when money is tight, deadlines are looming, and fires are burning. But if you keep in mind that even the best firefighters need to take mandatory leave before re-engaging, then you'll know you can too.  I hope other CEO's see this article as a sign to make their team's mental health just as much a priority as their team's physical health -- and review it alongside all their other performance goals.