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Last week I wrote about not feeling like performing.
About sitting down with plenty of ideas…and zero energy to execute them in a way that felt real. And it made me think about something bigger.
For a long time, I built my business in a way that required me to be exceptionally “on.” Sharp. Decisive. Energized. Quick. Present. Available.
It worked. Until it didn’t.
The Advice I Didn’t Fully Understand at the Time
Less than a year into running my business, someone gave me advice that felt simple and slightly annoying: “Take a vacation. Fully disconnect. And see what happens.”
The advice to disconnect wasn’t about testing my team. It was about testing my infrastructure. Could the business hold without me performing at 100 percent?
At the time, that felt irresponsible.
How could I disconnect? What if something broke? What if clients needed me? What if candidates needed me? What if decisions stalled?
What I didn’t fully grasp then is this: If your business collapses when you step away, you don’t have a business. You have a performance-dependent system.
And performance-dependent systems are fragile.
When “Being On” Becomes the Infrastructure
From 2018 through early 2020, I operated on intensity. I was the system.
I carried:
client communication
candidate alignment
expectation management
conflict smoothing
offer negotiations
momentum
emotional regulation
If something felt off, I stepped in. If something slowed down, I pushed. If someone hesitated, I drove clarity.
It mostly worked. Revenue grew. Placements closed. Momentum built.
But what I was really building was a structure that depended on my peak capacity. And peak capacity is not sustainable capacity.
Eventually, it caught up to me. And it cost me dearly when it did.
A lot of founders and leaders build this way.
They are smart. They are capable. They can read a room. They can close deals. They can rally a team. They can personally smooth over almost anything. And because they can, they do.
But here’s the quiet danger: If your business requires you to be sharp, energized, and hyper-present to function smoothly, it is not stable.
It is impressive. It is intense. It may even look high-performing. But it is fragile.
What happens when:
You’re tired?
You’re distracted?
Your family needs more of you?
Your health dips?
Your energy is just…normal?
Hiring Is Where This Shows Up First
You can see it clearly in recruiting.
If interviews only run well when you personally drive them…
If offers only close because you step in to rescue them…
If clarity disappears when you’re not in the room…
If decisions stall unless you push…
You don’t have a strong hiring process. You have a heroic founder model. And heroic models burn out heroes. A stable hiring system should not require exceptional energy to function.
It should run on:
clear role definitions
aligned expectations
pre-approved compensation
defined decision criteria
delegated ownership
So that when you are steady instead of spectacular, nothing breaks.
Stop Asking How to Be “On” More
The question most leaders ask is:
“How do I show up sharper?”
“How do I push harder?”
“How do I energize the team more?”
The better question is: “How do I build something that runs when I’m not?”
Because you will not always be:
energized
inspired
quick
decisive
lit up
You will be human. And human leaders need human systems.
Sustainable > Spectacular
Intensity builds momentum. Clarity builds stability.
Charisma can carry you far. Structure carries you longer.
The businesses that last are not the ones led by people who are constantly “on.” They are led by people who built systems that do not wobble when they take a breath.
So if you felt a little low-energy last week…
If you didn’t feel sharp…
If you didn’t feel like performing…
That is not a flaw. That is a reminder.
Build something that does not require you to be exceptional every day.
Steady is stronger than spectacular.
See you Monday,
Robin
#gorogue
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