Think Working 14-Hour Days Sets a Good Example? This CFO Says It’s Actually a ‘Terrible’ One.

Working long hours and barely sleeping sets a poor example for the people you lead, even though the habits still pass for dedication in the executive suite, says one CFO. You may see an impressive work ethic, but your employees may just see an implied, unwritten expectation to adopt the same unhealthy practices. 

Gina Mastantuono, president and CFO of Fortune 500 software company ServiceNow, says CFOs can learn from how elite athletes approach their jobs. Performing at a high level means making time for recovery, not just pushing harder, she said. ServiceNow has a market capitalization of $157 billion.

Mastantuono shared her perspective at a Fortune event earlier this month, which brought leaders together in Santa Barbara, California. Joining her on the panel were Olympic champion Janet Evans and Deloitte’s U.S. sports chief commercial officer and women’s sports leader Alicia Hatch.

Mastantuono said on the panel that she has championed fitness as a way to support both personal health and effective leadership. Her message challenges a stubborn corporate mindset that the more you work, the more committed you are. 

“There’s always been this idea that if you have to work 14-hour days and get four hours of sleep, that shows you’re working the hardest and deserve the most,” she said. “That is such a terrible example for the people around us.”

Mastantuono said recovery is part of the work of performing well, not something to squeeze in when the hard work is over. The same idea that applies to physical exercise carries into the office: Workers all the way up to the C-suite have to balance pushing hard with time to recharge. 

Learning from playing sports

Making time to recharge has changed how Mastantuono works and leads. She has achieved a healthier balance between her job and her personal life, become a more attentive listener and is able to stay calm under pressure. Her team benefits from that steadier approach too. 

“When we do focus on taking care of ourselves, then we are much better bosses, much better colleagues, much better parents,” she said.

The parallels between sports and leadership don’t end with recovery. Athletes also practice making tough calls in real time and adjusting to unexpected situations. 

Hatch asked the audience to consider how often they make consequential decisions without all of the facts and with “a lot of people watching.” “We face this every single day,” she said. 

She pointed out that 94% of female C-suite executives played sports growing up. “There’s a reason for that,” she said. In her view, playing sports provides a rehearsal for the demands of leadership and hones the ability to make decisions under pressure.

Sports are “an amazing simulator” for “performing continuously, even with changing circumstances,” Hatch said. 

Evans added that athletes learn to stay committed to a goal without getting locked into a single way of reaching it. That adaptability, paired with the willingness to take risks and push through setbacks, prepares them to pursue ambitious goals as leaders, she said.