Seeding Innovation

10Fourteen Steps to Your Personal Sustainability Plan

“If you can build a muscle, you can build a mindset.”

—Jay Shetty

JUST AS COMPANIES have failed to put clean air and clean water on their balance sheets as assets critical to the success of their businesses, they've also failed to put the health of their founders and CEOs down as assets.

And perhaps, even more importantly, while investing in the long-term viability of assets on their balance sheets, many CEOs fail to make the same investments in themselves.

My friend Jen Fisher is the human sustainability leader at Deloitte. It's a role that she created for the company after both experiencing and witnessing record burnout. Companies focus on the conditions of their assets all the time. Absenteeism and productivity directly impact the bottom line, and employees, executives and CEOs are some of the most valuable assets.

You Are on the Balance Sheet

As a founder, you are an incredibly valuable asset in your model and on your balance sheet, and you have to remember to value yourself that way. Why? Because your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health all impact how you show up for work. You are going to present as either an asset or a liability, so let's make sure you show up in the asset column! It reminds me of when I met Martha Stewart very early in my career. She was taking her company public. She was the asset of the company, and when my team at Invesco met with her, someone asked, “What happens if something ...