169 - A founder who stepped away for 7 days and came back with a new succession plan
Discover why stillness is a key competitive advantage for CEOs. Discover how stepping away reveals hidden dependencies, strengthens your leadership team, and fosters a business that thrives even without you.
Stillness Is a CEO Skill: How to Create Mental Space to Lead, Not React
A founder I worked with once admitted, “I haven’t taken a real break in three years.”
So we tested what would happen if he stepped away for just one week, no calls, no emails, no secret Slack checks.
What happened was telling.
Within 48 hours, his team began solving problems independently.
Minor issues didn’t escalate.
Decisions got made.
And when he returned, he said two things:
“I’m not as indispensable as I thought.”
“And I’ve been holding them back.”
That single week became the catalyst for change.
We developed a succession plan, transferred decision-making authority, and established a leadership rhythm that didn’t rely solely on him.
The business didn’t just survive, it grew stronger.
The lesson:
You don’t build succession in theory.
You test it in real time.
Sometimes stepping away is the strategy.
Because stillness isn't about slowing down, it’s about creating space to lead, not react.
If you want to know what would break if you stepped away for seven days, take the Exit & Investment Readiness Scorecard and start building succession before burnout forces you to.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: The Overworked Founder
00:06 The Experiment: A Week Without Work
00:13 Results: What Happened During the Break
00:18 Conclusion: The Power of Taking a Break
Links:
Website: https://www.marcogrueter.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcogrueter/
Transcript:
The founder I work with, Risley told me I haven't taken a vacation for three years. So we ran a simple test. It took off seven days, no emails, no telephone, nothing actually broke. A few things slowed down for him. This trip became the catalyst. Sometimes stepping away is the first step forward.