​One of the reasons I love working with experienced professionals is that they’re incredibly smart.

They’re deeply knowledgeable. Thoughtful about their work. They take pride in doing things well.

That intelligence is a real asset in their practice or role.

When it comes to business development, though, it can get in the way.

High-performing professionals tend to overanalyze every BD action. They think through every angle, anticipate every possible response, and try to optimize the outreach before it ever leaves their head.

That’s usually where things stall.
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I see this all the time, and it shows up both externally and internally.

​Every January, we watch the same thing play out during the NFL playoffs.

A star player has a great game. The cameras follow them. The highlights run all week.

But no one actually believes that one player wins a playoff game alone.

You don’t have to be a sports fan to know this is true. Complex outcomes are always the result of coordinated effort.

It takes protection up front. It takes teammates doing their jobs. It takes trust, timing, and adjustment in real time.
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In other words, it takes a team.

​The last couple of weeks gave me a good reminder of something I don’t say often enough.
It’s okay to step away.

We hosted family here in the mountains over Christmas, and we got lucky. Snow falling throughout the day. Quiet. The kind of white Christmas that feels like you’re inside a snow globe. No rushing anywhere. Just being together.

Then my wife, Aja, and I took the kids to San Diego to spend the last week of the year with her family. And for once, I really disconnected. No half-working. No checking email just in case. I was present with them and gave myself permission to be off without guilt.

Now I’m back, rested, clear-headed, and starting the year with full batteries.
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That reset made me think about what I see with a lot of professionals in early January.