LinkedIn co-founder's take on balance ⚖️

The world's No.1 tennis player has another

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"For over 30 years, I had a hard cut-off on Tuesdays. Rain or shine, I left exactly 5pm and spent the evening with my best friend." - Marc Randolph (Netflix co-founder)

Hi,

How was your last week?

“If a founder brags about having ‘a balanced life,’ I assume they’re not serious about winning.”

That line from Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder, received over a million views on X last year.

It’s not a new take. We’ve heard versions of it for decades. What was interesting is how many founders publicly pushed back - calling it short-sighted and even stupid.

Why share this with you?

Because there’s a chance you’re working with a “Reid Hoffman.”

You feel the pressure to be available, deliver more, don’t slow down, and never settle. Because that’s what winning playbook looks like in their world.

But deep down, you want time with your partner, laughter with kids, long walks with your dog, space for hobbies, and peaceful me-time.

And that contradiction creates tension - inside. Because you don’t want to lose at work - but you don’t want to lose what you love after work either.

You actually want balance.

And you know what? You can and should have it - win at life by living it your way.

the why

I’m not on X. I came across Hoffman’s take in an article by Justin Bariso, who I connected with a few years go on LinkedIn. Justin is the author of EQ Applied, and founder of The Lighthouse - a community where emotionally intelligent leaders learn, support, and grow together.

Everyone has a right to their opinion. And in today’s world, everyone has a right to express it openly. But what I dislike about Hoffman’s take is the lack of room for a “maybe” - maybe there’s another way to win, maybe winning looks different for everyone, maybe ‘a balanced life’ is the biggest win of all.

And that’s why I appreciated Justin’s expert opinion and his take that “work-life balance as a founder isn’t an impossible pipe dream - it’s part of the definition of true success.”

He also shares the take of Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, who for 30 years protected every Tuesday after 5pm for date nights with his wife - his best friend. Randolph still says staying married to the same women and raising kids who want to spend time with him is his proudest achievement of all.

Not everyone believes that financial dominance and hustle in spite of loving relationships, moments of joy, and slower paced life is winning. I don’t have anything against people who make that choice. But it isn’t mine.

I want to build a win-win business, for sure. But not in spite of my relationships and health.

And the more I talk about The Good Busy, the more I meet people who see balanced life as ultimate win. A friend of mine - a senior corporate leader and mother - told me last year she is comfortable financially, she doesn’t want more money. She wants more energy and time for creativity.

Balance is not just possible, it’s what emotionally intelligent leaders prioritize and encourage, according to Justin. I agree.

And that’s why emotional intelligence is where your winning starts - at work and beyond it.

the how

But many leaders think balance requires giving something up: ambition, momentum, growth, opportunities, visibility, success.

I see it differently.

Balance is going after the life you want to live today.

Nobody knows what will happen in the future. We work towards something - and that’s how it should be. But working towards tomorrow, we sometimes forget to live today. And, some days, I’m still guilty of that.

What helps me is self-awareness and self-regulation - the two emotional intelligent skills often parked for “when I have more time.”

I can’t teach you the skills - Justin Bariso can - but the story I’m about to share might invite you to un-park them.

Carlos Alcaraz, world number one tennis player and 7-time Gland Slam winner, wants to be the best in history.

But in 2024, after a major win in Paris, he escaped to Ibiza to splash and have fun with friends - unthinkable for his sports norms. With Wimbledon (another major) just weeks away, his team objected that party trip.

It created a lot of controversy in the media and unease in the team. But it didn’t stop Alcaraz from winning Wimbledon.

In his documentary Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, Carlos explains why he did it.

He says the secret to his focus and maturity on the court is the joy of playing. Being a professional tennis player is tough - rigid discipline, being far from friends and family, hours on the plane, diet restrictions, and the troubling thought of being 40 and realizing you never got to be 20. He doesn’t want to end up hating tennis.

Alcaraz has impressive self-awareness. He knows exactly what pushes him into a corner and kills the joy of playing. And he found a self-regulation mechanism to protect that joy - that is allowing himself to be the 22-year old he is.

Yes, his predecessors - the players like Nadal who inspired him - did it differently. But he wants to do it his way.

In January 2026, he became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam. If you’re a tennis fan you already know that, and if you’re not - just know he made history. And he did and hopefully will continue do it his way.

Perhaps leaders before you and around you are doing it one way - discounting balanced life, maybe it’s not even part of the playbook. But maybe, just like Carlos, you can do it your way.

So… What is your way?

That’s the question you need to answer.

your play of the week

Find your way ⚖️

This week, build self-awareness to find your way:

• What puts me in the corner?

• What makes me feel like I have it all?

• What if I prioritized and encouraged this balance this week?

(And if you want help clarifying this, I’ll guide you in my free workshop.)

Because the alternative is too familiar: more pressure, more resentment, more overwhelm, more guilt - telling yourself this is how winning works.

I’m helping 50,000+ leaders master Good Busy.

If The Good Busy Newsletter helps you, refer it to a friend and get rewards.

I know productivity - not illustrations. Stickman figures by Zdenek Sasek.

See you next Monday,

Kate

Founder, TheGoodBusy.com

PS: Want more time for what you love at and after work? Master Good Busy.

This is how I can help:

• Set (and test) your balance goal in my free workshop

• Free up 8+ hrs/week from bad busy work inside The Good Busy Reset

• Bring a custom workshop or The Good Busy Reset to your team

PPS: I built a 5-min productivity scan. I have no coding skills - but I know a lot about the unnecessary work that fills your day (15 years in corporate).
It’s free - try it now! I’d love your feedback. Reply to this email. Thank you 🙏