What most founders don't realize is how much it could change the results of their company if they used all that effort only (or mostly) for those things that really make the difference.
Looking at the data, analyzing numbers, studying the market, thinking about strategy... That's the part of their job that makes them really important for the company and that they should never delegate - while all the rest yes, should be done by someone that is or might become even better than them at certain operational tasks.
After a big expansion of my company, I kind of "burned out" - at the time, people used to say I was simply done.
So I took a vacation to Central America, and just left to my team all those urgencies that I thought needed me constantly.
Well, it turned out they didn't.
The company didn't collapse, but kept growing.
It's when you force yourself to do things you normally wouldn't, that incredible truths are being discovered.
This is one of the most important lessons in building - and almost nobody learns it willingly.
The company not collapsing without you isn't a relief. It's a confrontation.
Because if it runs fine without you, what were you actually doing all those late nights? Who were you really doing it for?
Burnout has a way of forcing the questions you were too busy to ask.
What most founders don't realize is how much it could change the results of their company if they used all that effort only (or mostly) for those things that really make the difference.
Looking at the data, analyzing numbers, studying the market, thinking about strategy... That's the part of their job that makes them really important for the company and that they should never delegate - while all the rest yes, should be done by someone that is or might become even better than them at certain operational tasks.