September has that familiar “back-to-school” feeling. After a summer break, many of us return to work with new energy, sharper ideas, and a sense of possibility. But the question is, why does it take stepping away to feel refreshed and creative again?
For many founder-owners, the answer is simple: you and your people are running on empty most of the year. The way you work is out of balance, and no amount of “digging deeper” will fix it.
The problem with the hard-work habit
Most of us grew up with the idea that success is directly linked to hard work. Push harder, put in more hours, keep grinding, and you’ll get the rewards. That work ethic is deeply embedded in our culture, but be honest: how often does it deliver the results you really want in your business?
As businesses grow, the biggest wins rarely come from working flat out. They come from creating space – to think clearly, to focus on what matters, and to allow people to bring their best energy to the table.
Look at elite sport. Decades ago, professional cyclists would compete constantly, burning themselves out in the process. With pressure mounting, many ended up compromising their values to keep going. These days the most successful teams are far more selective. They pick the races that matter, build everything around peaking for those, and let go of the rest.
The same principle applies to your business.
From busyness to focus
How many of you (be honest!) try to keep all the plates spinning, only to turn up to a crucial client pitch or board presentation exhausted? And then expect to deliver peak performance?
Contrast that with the alternative: taking time to prioritise the top 20% of opportunities, letting go of the lower-value activity, and creating the conditions for yourself and your team to be rested, sharp and ready when it really counts.
This isn’t fluffy, it’s commercial. Focus beats exhaustion every single time.
Structure, not sacrifice
Here’s the catch: you can’t achieve this shift just by telling people to ‘work smarter’ or offering free fruit in the kitchen. To make wellbeing and focus part of how your organisation actually runs, you need structure.
That means:
- Clear processes so people know exactly what matters most – and what doesn’t.
- Agreed accountabilities so energy isn’t wasted on duplication or crossed wires.
- Cultural permission for people to rest, recover and prepare properly for key moments.
Some companies are starting to catch on, offering relaxation spaces, flexible breaks, and smarter ways of working. But for many SMEs, the default is still ‘just work harder’. And that’s exactly what keeps you, and your team, stuck.
Redefining ‘real work’
As a founder-owner, you set the tone. If ‘real work’ in your business means being busy, firefighting and never pausing, then your people will follow suit. If ‘real work’ means focusing on key outcomes, planning intelligently, and looking after the energy that fuels performance, they’ll follow that instead.
This September, instead of pushing yourself and your team straight back into the grind, take the opportunity to reset. Build the processes, habits and culture that allow you all to perform at your best.
In a scaling business, growth doesn’t come from squeezing harder. It comes from creating an organisation where people can bring their best, not just their ‘busiest’.