What's the Cost of Taking a Work Call on Vacation?

I once led a pricing strategy call from Busch Gardens during a family vacation. It only took about 40 minutes, and I timed it for when we'd be taking a coaster break to catch some shade and a quick lunch. As we were wrapping up, my boss took a moment to thank me in front of the group for taking time away from vacation to work this through. The sentiment was nice, but it's how he closed it that still sticks with me:

"This is how enterprise deals are won."

What is? The collaboration? Or the collaboration at any cost, even if that cost is working when you're not supposed to be working? As a leader who frequently encouraged my own team to unplug, I worried that my selfless exception could be seen as an unwritten expectation of martyrdom. Do as I do, not as I say.

Unfortunately, we know this is far too common. Overwork is a badge of honor, and we're more than happy to show it off and encourage it. Maybe you've heard some version of these conversations:

• "I pulled an all-nighter to get the presentation prepped." Wow, you don't even look tired. The presentation looks great!

• "I was able to crank through that report Saturday morning." I wish you didn't have to do that, but this is really fantastic!

• "I wasn't doing anything Sunday night anyway, so I figured I'd get us a head start." I may have some time to do the same tonight.

• "I get up at 4:30 so I can work through my email before I start the day." That's a great idea, I should try that too!

• "I'll be taking my laptop on vacation just in case I need to check on things." Sounds good!

It doesn't take many people modeling this before it becomes contagious, and suddenly you have a culture of overwork instead of a few overworked individuals.

Leigh Elena Henderson writes in Inc. about how that shift takes place and the damage it can cause:

"Burnout doesn't get rewarded because organizations are malicious. It gets rewarded because cultures, over time, start measuring effort by visibility rather than output. And the most visible form of effort is sacrifice."

I've certainly fallen into the trap of believing sacrifice and overwork showed commitment to my work, my company and my colleagues. But looking back, I can't think of a single time it was worth the personal cost, and it certainly didn't move the business needle. Believe it or not, what actually moves the needle is good strategy, the resources to execute it, and a workforce that isn't running on empty.

FYI: The enterprise deal I was so willing to work through on PTO? We didn't even win it.