The Race We’re Really Running
Leaders, let’s be real. The 9-9-6 work culture (9am–9pm, six days a week) is the business version of the hare in Aesop’s fable. It’s fast, flashy, and looks unstoppable in the first stretch.
But here’s the catch: just like the hare, 9-9-6 burns hot, flames out, and eventually loses to the tortoise—the steady, disciplined, consistent performer.
The truth? Hustle may win you a few sprints, but consistency builds dynasties.
9-9-6: What It Promises vs What It Delivers
- The Promise: More hours = more work = more wins. Simple math, right?
- The Reality: More hours often equals diminishing returns, sloppy mistakes, fried brains, and a culture that collapses under pressure.
Sure, 9-9-6 looks heroic. You log long days, sacrifice weekends, and tell yourself you’re outpacing the competition. But you’re really just running trick plays in the first quarter. By halftime, fatigue begins to set in, and the disciplined team takes control.
Sports Analogy: Trick Plays vs Consistency
Picture two football teams.
- Team Hare (9-9-6 Style): First half, they run every gimmick: flea flickers, fake punts, surprise onside kicks. They score fast. However, by the second half, the players are exhausted, mistakes accumulate, and the magic fades.
- Team Tortoise (Consistency Style): Think Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid or the New England Patriots under Belichick. Sure, they mix in creativity, but they win on fundamentals: disciplined execution, steady conditioning, and playing the long game. By Q4, they’re still sharp, while the gimmick team is out of gas.
The lesson: 9-9-6 is Team Hare. It looks exciting early, but it can’t go the distance. Team Tortoise wins the championship.
Why 9-9-6 Fails Leaders and Teams
| Short-Term Gains | Long-Term Costs |
|---|---|
| Quick output, visible hustle | Burnout, turnover, decision fatigue |
| “Look how hard we’re working!” | Creativity, innovation, and morale collapse |
| Initial productivity spike | Diminishing returns per hour, sloppy mistakes |
What Championship Leaders Do Instead
- Play the Long Game
Championships aren’t won in Q1; they’re won over seasons. Leaders who have a strong and consistent team win bigger, longer. - Stick to Fundamentals
Clear priorities, smart delegation, and trusting teams outperform gimmicks every time. - Invest in Conditioning
Athletes need stamina; teams need clarity and trust that leadership has their back. Overworked brains throw interceptions. Teams that trust each other see the field clearly. - Coach with Perspective
Great coaches know when to push and when to trust their players. Leaders must do the same. If you want your people to perform their best in crunch time.
Conclusion: Be the Tortoise, Not the Hare
9-9-6 may get you some highlight reels, but it’s not how you build a dynasty. Like the hare, it burns bright, then fades. The tortoise, the team that sticks to fundamentals, paces themselves, and invests in consistency, wins the long game.
In business, as in sports, gimmicks fade. Discipline and consistency endure.
So ask yourself: Are you leading like the hare or building like the tortoise?
