Donald Burns argues that leaders should focus on results, not hours worked. He describes a leadership state as 'Zen-like' where time feels suspended and stresses evaluating work by outcomes: what was accomplished, how the business moved forward, and whether time was used effectively rather than merely appearing busy.
Leaders don't worry about the clock. To them, time really seems to stop. Some people refer to it as a Zen like experience. There's no past, there's no future. Just a moment. When you're a leader, you need to focus on getting results. Put in 12 hours or more a day. And so what? Did you get anything done? How did you move the business forward? How did you use your time? Did you use it effectively? I mean, we can all look busy. The real question is, what are you busy doing?
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
