- Dan McKee
- Jun 1
- 7 min read
High Achievers Don’t Want Less Work—They Want Work That is Life Giving Not Like Crushing!
For most tech professionals, “work-life balance” feels like a well-meaning myth.
It conjures images of reduced hours, unplugging fully, or compartmentalizing work into a tidy little box that never spills over. It feels like a fantasy!
But that’s not reality for high achievers.
They’re not trying to do less.They’re trying to do what matters most, but struggle to do itl—without burning out or losing themselves in the process.
What we need is a realistic blueprint for what work life balance looks like.
We call it sustainable intensity—where performance and personal well-being aren’t at odds but work together to fuel one another and create meaningful outcomes,
Traditional “Balance” Advice Falls Flat
Typical work-life balance advice assumes:
You can fully disconnect at 5pm
Success and failure are tied to your identity
Energy depletion is about too many hours, not how those hours are spent
But in sales:
Urgency never stops
Targets reset every quarter
Emotional rejection is a constant
Performance is deeply personal
The job isn’t just demanding. It’s emotional, unpredictable, and identity-shaping. That is REALITY!
If we constantly buy into the false narrative of an aspirational world where work life balance is defined by our ability to organize our life in a way that fits into a defined compartment we lose before we even get started.
That’s not REALITY!
If that’s the life you are looking for, become a postal worker, not a sales professional.
The Blueprint For Work Life Balance Requires a New Paradigm
The “Paradigm” begins by first defining what work life balance means to you!
A personal example: My desire was to be the best. I recognized that producing differentiating results was likely to happen with less than taxing effort. Especially in the early stages of a career.
I was married with four children and we were a single income household so I was clearly motivated but also constantly stressed.
I worked out of control in pursuit of success. It took burning out for me to realize that not only did I need to change, but that I had bought into the lie that working endlessly was the recipe for success. There had to be a better way.
The New Paradigm:
Our natural inclination within companies is to reward employees for working late into the evenings, on weekends, on vacation, even during holidays. For some reason we associate productivity with endless on demand work and reward people for it, We alos think of people who have balance built into their work as lazy or uncommitted. The concept of work life balance is a paradox when it comes to high performance. The belief is that you can’t be a “High Achiever” without working night and day to get there. The reality is that statistical data shows the opposite to be true. Therein lies the paradox.
The Facts:
Gallup Poll Findings: Research from Gallup shows that employees who strongly agree they have a good work-life balance are 21% more productive than those who do not.
Flexible Work Arrangements: A study by Stanford University found that remote workers were 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. The flexibility allowed workers to manage their time better and minimize distractions.
Employee Engagement: According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organizations that promote work-life balance achieve high engagement levels, which are correlated with increased productivity. Engaged employees boost productivity by up to 17%.
Reduced Turnover Costs: Research by the Center for American Progress indicates that the cost of employee turnover can be as high as 213% of the employee's salary for highly specialized positions. Companies that foster work-life balance can reduce turnover rates by up to 25%, thus maintaining productivity.
Harvard Business Review: A study published in HBR found that employees who worked in flexible environments reported increased productivity and improved job performance compared to those in rigid work settings.
The New Paradigm in action:
Step One: Define what work life balance means to you because it’s not a cookie cutter one size fit’s all world. There are also seasons of life that influence the definition.
When I started to pay attention to this for myself this is how I framed my definition of balance.
“I will do “whatever it takes” to succeed as long as all that I do is based on integrity (legal, moral and ethical). Balance is not about hours, it’s about guardrails. I will work as hard as I need to in pursuit of a result, but I will not jeopardize my relationships or health for what I perceive as success”
Success: It’s as important to define success as it is to define work life balance. As an example, achieving an outcome is only part of “success” ; how we achieve the outcome matters. There is a shared narrative in business circles today pointing to Elon Musk and Steve Jobs as examples of how being an asshole in business is an effective leadership strategy. I don’t disagree that each of those executives are great at driving outcomes and if that is the definition of success then they are examples. The legacy of being an asshole as being representative of “success” seems like an oxymoron to me. Which is why we get to define success and be clear on what matters most.
Managing the guardrails:
Setting up guardrails and definitions for ourselves is just the beginning. We then need to commit to them and be accountable for living within them.
I was lucky enough to have a wife that was fantastic at letting me run as hard as I was inclined to run, but when I was getting over the tips of my ski’s was great about calling me back to the guardrails we had set in place. I often needed to be reminded.
Companies and Leaders:
We can’t rely on our companies or leaders to put guardrails in place for us. Great leaders know how to help employees do this, but great leaders today seem to be the exception not the rule and this is rarely an area where we see companies who are proficient.
Reference Link: The EVP building a Great Place to Work
It’s unfortunate because work life balance is a key tenant of a great culture. As a result we need to clearly communicate our own guardrails so that our leaders are clear on what they can expect from us and why it’s important for our mutual success not just our personal well being. In every case when this is done right it’s effective. And in cases where leaders and companies are not receptive we are likely at the wrong company.
Reference Link; The Why and The What
The New Paradigm: The path to success is rooted in systems that help us navigate through pressure, ambiguity, and ambition.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Energy Management > Time Management
High achievers don’t burn out because they work long hours.
They burn out because:
They spend energy on the wrong things
They never reset emotionally
They mistake availability for effectiveness
Sustainable sales performance is about managing energy, not hours.
Tips that work:
Time block for deep work, not just meetings
Take recovery seriously (workouts, meals, mental breaks)
Know your peak energy zones—and protect them
2. Clarity Is the Ultimate Performance Enhancer
Most reps aren’t burned out from overwork—they’re burned out from confusion.
They don’t know:
What good looks like
What their “critical few priorities to Improve” are
How they are being measured
Whether their work actually matters
That creates anxiety, overcompensation, and emotional fatigue.
Great leaders eliminate ambiguity. They give reps clear targets, defined plays, and aligned messaging.
🔗 See how this gets operationalized in Building High-Performing Customer-Facing Teams
3. Emotional Commitment That Doesn’t Become Emotional Drain
When reps are emotionally disengaged, performance suffers.But when they’re too emotionally enmeshed in the job, every “no” feels personal.
Great sales cultures teach reps how to:
Stay committed without being consumed
Care deeply—but detach from outcomes
Take pride in process, not just closed-won deals
This is the nuance of emotional commitment—and it’s a major differentiator.
🔗 Learn more in Emotional Commitment is Your Competitive Differentiator
4. Coaching That Builds the Person, Not Just the Pipeline
If your 1:1s are only about pipeline…If your reviews are only about quota…
Your team may hit numbers. But they won’t grow.
True frontline leaders:
Ask about energy, not just effort
Coach emotional regulation, not just deal strategy
Celebrate process wins, not just results
This kind of leadership creates rep loyalty, psychological safety, and retention.
🔗 More on this style of leadership: The Primary Role of a Leader
5. A Rhythm That Supports Recovery and Growth
Top teams have a cadence.Not just meetings—but a rhythm that sustains performance.
It includes:
Weekly retrospectives on wins + lessons
Focused time for deep learning
Protected hours for non-work recovery
Permission to be human (without guilt)
Because burnout isn’t caused by overworking. It’s caused by never recovering.
🔗 Build this rhythm with Accelerated Learning: The Key to Leadership Growth
🚫 What Work-Life Balance Is Not
Let’s be clear: High performance and healthy living are not opposites. But some myths need to die.
It’s not about working less. It’s about working more intentionally.
It’s not about detaching from ambition. It’s about managing your ambition with care.
It’s not about lower goals. It’s about smarter, aligned goals that fuel—not deplete—you.
Balance isn’t about less effort. It’s about less wasted effort.
🧠 The Deeper Truth: Sales Is an Emotional Profession
Your reps don’t just need enablement.
They need:
Permission to have a life
Structure to channel ambition
Support that respects their humanity
Leadership that models what sustainable performance actually looks like
This isn’t fluff. It’s the foundation of long-term revenue growth.
🚀 Want to Build a Sales Culture That Performs Without Burning Out?
If you’re seeing signs of:
Quiet quitting
Emotional fatigue
Top performer churn
“Hustle culture” hitting a wall
Then you don’t need “balance training.” You need a system for sustainable performance and self-leadership.
That’s exactly what our High Achiever Leadership Coaching Program is built to help leaders implement.
🎯 Bonus: Download “Unlock the Potential of Frontline Leaders” and learn how to coach teams that win and stay well. Share this post: "Work-Life Balance for Sales Professionals: What High Performers Actually Need" with your team today.
