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They can even turn into a delay/avoidance tactic.
People dealing with serious stress should be given better advice - e.g. talk to a professional.
Alexis, how would you help someone in work-till-death-depression-spiral help to recognize they may not be as happy as they claim to be? I have a friend who works all day and all night (literally), and is almost guaranteed deeply depressed and borderline psychotic (although I am not a doctor). I have tried being suggestive, and tried being direct, but the response had ultimately come down to "you are not working as ha…
I think the biggest way to help is to try to understand them and their values. Sometimes people are operating in a way that they don't even know is unhealthy. If you can simply get curious about their work habits in a positive way and then repeat that back to them without judgement: "It sounds like you value money." or "It sounds like you're scared of going broke in the future.", they can feel heard and it brings down their defenses.
But if you're saying "Stop working so much" or "You'll burn out." the person might be wondering why you're saying those things. Are they jealous? Are they wanting to hang out more? But if you can say "Hey, I've noticed you've put on some weight and I'm nervous about your health" or "Hey, I've been feeling lonely while you've been working so much", they might have a better understanding of your intentions which might help them lower their guard.
This was a great read—Ohanian's essays are always, really. I can't say the executive coach bit makes sense to me, though. Athletes play a single, relatively unchanging game. Business, especially in the tech world, is anything but stable. There's no set of rules like there is in atheletics. Is he effectively referring to just a mentor?
This was a great read—Ohanian's essays are always, really. I can't say the executive coach bit makes sense to me, though. Athletes play a single, relatively unchanging game. Business, especially in the tech world, is anything but stable. There's no set of rules like there is in atheletics. Is he effectively referring to just a mentor?
Every athlete is different (even from themselves over time), and every opponent has qualities that inform your strategies. I don’t think the two are that divorced.