Your Dedication Just May Be Enabling Your Organization

I worked at a large nonprofit for 13 years. I loved the mission, the work, and the people fiercely. We were always scraping by — scrappy, innovative, and pushing hard. The fear of the doors closing was a constant hum in the background.

Like a lot of people there, I was dedicated to a fault. Nights, weekends, major surgery — I literally snuck my laptop home post-op to keep grinding on revenue until my COO sent someone to my house to physically take my computer away.

For 13 years, the urgency never let up. And I wore that as a badge of honor.

But one day it hit me: my behavior wasn't helping the organization. It was hurting it. Sure, every contract I landed or deal I closed moved the needle short-term. But long-term? Leadership had no real picture of how many full-time humans it actually took to keep the machine running. I and others were masking the true cost by working more than we were paid.

I thought I'd stay forever. My boss and I used to joke: "When the chains go on the door, we'll be the last ones out."

Then I woke up completely burnt out.

The passion had curdled into resentment. My nightly coping mechanism — a few glasses of wine (or six) — was aging me fast. Leaving wasn't a choice so much as a necessity.

And guess what? The organization limped along just fine without my 50-plus hours a week.

I recently watched an episode of The Pitt where a charge nurse clocks out at the end of a brutal ER shift. A doctor tries to guilt her — saving lives doesn't have a clock-out time, he says. Her response stopped me cold: the mess was there before she arrived, it'll be there when she gets back tomorrow, and right now she's going to take care of herself. Burnout is real, even for the people saving lives.

She's not wrong. When we chronically work beyond what allows for real rest and recovery, our cortisol and adrenaline never reset. The wear on our bodies and minds is cumulative — and quietly devastating. Meanwhile, the organization we're sacrificing for never gets accurate data on what it actually takes to sustain the work.

So the next time you're planning to work after dinner or skip a weekend to catch up — pause.

Consider the cost. To your health. And to your organization's ability to understand what it truly takes to hit those goals.

Of course, changing abruptly can cause even more drama. If you need some guidance on how to shift to leading with a healthier balance and communicate the change in a positive way, I’m the advisor you need. Book a time to talk with me and learn more.