---
title: "Jim Reid: Energy Management Trumps Time Management to Prevent Executive Burnout"
url: "https://authoritymag.co/articles/jim-reid-energy-management-trumps-time-management-to-prevent-executive-burnout"
publisher: "Authority Magazine"
author: "Authority Magazine Editorial Staff"
authorUrl: "https://authoritymag.co/authors/authority-magazine-editorial-staff"
interviewee: "Jim Reid"
company: "Rogers Communications"
category: "Pop Culture"
datePublished: "2021-12-27T23:12:26.070Z"
dateModified: "2026-11-12T17:08:06.565Z"
tags: "Pop Culture"
---

# Jim Reid: Energy Management Trumps Time Management to Prevent Executive Burnout

*The veteran executive and HR leader explains how energy management, core values, and playing to deep strengths form the ultimate playbook for sustainable leadership.*

> The very best executives see life not as a marathon where you need to pace yourself, but rather as a series of sprints followed by recovery.

---

As*part of my series about the “How To Take Your Company From Good To Great”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Reid.*

*Jim Reid knows what it takes to build a high-performing culture and successfully lead organizations through tremendous change and growth. An accomplished executive and trusted advisor to seven CEOs, Jim has navigated significant change and immense pressure to build winning teams that outperform competitors. He has coached, advised and developed thousands of aspiring leaders who have gone on to deliver extraordinary results and to make the world an even better place.*

*Originally trained as a military pilot, Jim built his expertise working alongside some of the best thinkers on leadership including Jim Collins, Jeffrey Pfeffer, John Kotter and Dave Ulrich. Recognized in 2021 as one of the 50 Best Executives in Canada by The Globe & Mail’s Report on Business Magazine, he brings credibility, insight and integrity to shape a framework for leadership based on five timeless principles that if understood and lived, are almost guaranteed to get you to a better place in your life.*

*Jim’s new book ‘Leading to Greatness’ will be published in March 2022. It combines the best research on high performance with over 30 years of observing what the very best leaders do differently to excel.*

*In Leading to Greatness Jim provides an actionable, practical playbook for all leaders to take their leadership in work and life to the next level.*

*Today, Jim splits his time between Toronto and Muskoka Canada with his wife Pattie, their children and growing group of grandchildren.*

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**Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?**

My career journey began as a military pilot, and there is no question my service in the military made me a better person and shaped my approach to leadership. After serving my country for 10 years, I moved into operations, then ran a large business before I became Chief HR Officer for four organizations, working with seven CEO’s and coaching thousands of leaders.

Along the way I was invited to work with Jim Collins on three of his research projects (Good to Great; How the Mighty Fall; Great by Choice). Working with Jim was a career highlight — and next to my wife Pattie and children, I consider him to have been one of the most influential people in my life.

**Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?**

For me, my biggest failure in life was my first marriage ending in divorce. I was one of those people who got married very young, immediately after being away at college for four years. It was a tough lesson in life, but it taught me that who you decide to spend your life with is perhaps the most important decision you will ever make. Today, I have found the most amazing partner in Pattie and have been happily married for over 25 years. Our goal is to have 50 years of happy marriage. And we are over halfway there!

**Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?**

Earlier in my career, I was in Lincoln, Nebraska to meet the management team of a business we had acquired. I had brought one pair of pants along and decided to use the iron in the hotel room to press the pants. The iron melted the fabric in the pants creating a massive hole in the pant leg. But I wore them anyway thinking no one would notice. I was so wrong! Today, I never travel without backup clothes — and I do not iron anything!

**What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?**

Today, I work as Chief Human Resources Officer for Rogers Communications, a leading technology, telecommunications and media powerhouse in Canada. The company’s founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI in 1960 and will celebrate 62 years of connecting Canadians in September 2022. Ted was an extraordinary human being, a great visionary who saw himself as the underdog and fought to gain scale and relevance — and that he did.

Today, Rogers has over $13B in Revenue and is 24,000 people strong, providing the very best in wireless, residential, sports and media services and solutions to 96% of Canadians and Canadian businesses. The company is Canada’s largest Wireless provider and was the first to launch 5G in Canada, is Canada’s largest cable TV Provider and has Canada’s largest sports entertainment portfolio. We are also proud owners of the Toronto Blue Jays and we own 37.5% of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment who own the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors.

To me, what makes Rogers stand out is its people. There is a passion and relentless commitment to delivering on what Ted Rogers started. One of the most meaningful experiences I have had with our team at Rogers was shaping our company’s values. Over 13,000 of our team members came together a few years ago to directly put their fingerprints on firming up our core values that guide decision making across our business every day. It was inspiring to see all this passion for the company, and what we stand for!

**Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?**

As a certified coach who has a passion for building leaders, teams and helping people grow, my advice is simple — You have to play to your deep strengths and passion, always! And if you do, you will never have to work a day in your life. It’s just that simple.

Years ago, I attended a workshop with Dr. Jim Loehr, co-author of the Power of Full Engagement. I learned from Jim that the very best executives see life not as a marathon where you need to pace yourself, but rather as a series of sprints followed by recovery. His key message was focused on energy management, not time management, and the need for leaders to manage energy, well being and fitness to ensure they are at their peak performance when they need to be.

But here is the bottom line. The best recipe to avoid burnout is to get up every day, work with people you respect and trust, and perform work you are very good at doing and love to do.

**None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?**

For me, Jim Collins is that person. I met him in the mid 1990’s while attending the Executive Program in Organizational Change at Stanford University. After class one day, he asked me why I was there attending the program. I told him that the business I was running was having its business model turned on its side, and I was trying to figure out “what to change” to remain successful. He stopped me in my tracks and told me the right question to ask when faced with change is ‘First, what not to change”.

He went on to explain that the research in the Built to Last companies suggested that those companies that outperformed their comparison companies by 7:1 did so by embracing a paradox of change:

- On the one hand, never change the CORE of the company

—Core values

— Core purpose

- On the other hand, be open to change everything else

— Goals

— Strategies

— Practices

— Culture

- Why? Because most organizations are not very good at change. They change the wrong things and keep the wrong things constant. By figuring out what ‘Not to Change’ (values, purpose, deep strengths) you are able to keep those fundamentals fixed and strong and be better able to adapt to the changing world around you by being open to change everything else that is not core.

And what I learned over time, is that this architecture for success, this paradox of change, applies equally to us as leaders in building a great career as it does to leaders in building a great team or company.

**Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. The title of this series is “How to take your company from good to great”. Let’s start with defining our terms. How would you define a “good” company, what does that look like? How would you define a “great” company, what does that look like?**

I think a good company is a company that achieves average Total Shareholder Return (TSR) performance relative to its peers and the market. On the other hand, great companies outperform the market and their peers on a sustainable basis. Furthermore, they are seen as a best performing company by their customers and their employees.

Committing to be a great company is not an easy path. It takes tremendous discipline, grit and a relentless drive to improve! And the journey never ends.

**Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from Good to Great? Please share a story or an example for each.**

I can really relate to this question. As someone who has coached seven CEO’s, I have come to believe completely in the adage that ‘leaders set the tone’ for success in any company or team. The key question for aspiring leaders is “What do the very best leaders do differently to drive extraordinary impact?” For me, it comes down to five timeless principles, and I’ve centered my book “Leading to Greatness” around these principles for leaders to take their leadership to the next level:

1. They have crystal clarity on their personal **values and purpose** in life. This enables them to be authentic as a leader.
2. Over time, they get on a path that consistently plays to their deep **strengths and passion**. Put simply, they do work they are genetically great at, and that they love to do.
3. They are outstanding at consistently making **the right people** decisions — being clear about who are the right people on their teams and who are the wrong people.
4. Their **engagement** is contagious to those they lead. They understand that engagement is more about energy management and as a result, they are at their peak performance when they need to be. As is their team.
5. And, finally, they have a **discipline** that translates into a relentless drive to outperform and build the best company or team possible. And this discipline is brought to life every day through their mission, focus, grit, humility and being a builder — not a divider.

Two great examples of leaders who I believe live these five principles every day are Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand and Colin Powell, former US General & Secretary of State.

- When New Zealand’s peace was shattered by the Christchurch Mosque shootings in 2019, Prime Minister Ardern wasted no time in springing into action and leading her country out of a major, heartbreaking crisis. She left no doubt where she stood on racism and her compassion, empathy and decisive leadership was extraordinary.
- Over his lifetime, Colin Powell has been the epitome of a values and purpose driven leader. The son of Jamaican parents, a four-star general and former secretary of state, he dealt with adversity all his life. He never forgot where he came from, or what it means to lead. And his character, humility and discipline will always be a standard we can all aspire to.

**Extensive**[research](https://www.forbes.com/sites/caterinabulgarella/2018/09/21/purpose-driven-companies-evolve-faster-than-others/#6f3565da55bc)**suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. Can you help articulate for our readers a few reasons why a business should consider becoming a purpose driven business, or consider having a social impact angle?**

In business and in life, those who don’t change their core (purpose and values) but are open to changing everything else (strategy, practices, culture) will adapt the best and will be the most successful.

On a personal level, purpose for me is the ‘destination’, or some say the ‘north star’ that you are heading for in life. Your personal purpose guides your journey through life and how you decide to contribute to the world. If you have a clear personal purpose, when you look back on your life, you should have no regrets. Clarity of your personal purpose also helps you at work. It becomes your guidepost to help you select a company whose business purpose you can relate to and get fully behind.

There is also great benefit to a clear purpose for any company. A company’s purpose must address the fundamental reason why the company exists, and it must be articulated in a way that stands for more than profit. A well-articulated purpose for any company also acts as a destination, or north star as mentioned earlier — meaning it’s what you are passionately pursuing but may never really fully achieve.

For companies today, clarity of purpose is critical to defining the very foundation of the company and the team being built. Purpose can be a grounding force to guide decisions and focus in the company. It is also an aspect of a company that Millennial and Gen Z generations — the majority of our labour force today — are looking for in an employer. These generations are passionate about being part of organizations with a clear purpose, who make a difference and give back in the communities where they work and live.

**What would you advise to a business leader who initially went through years of successive growth, but has now reached a standstill. From your experience do you have any general advice about how to boost growth and “restart their engines”?**

The markets and environments our businesses operate in are faced with constant change. Unlike your purpose and values which are concrete and fixed, the strategies and tactics we deliver will need to evolve with the changing world around you.

To me, the first place to start is get clarity and be clear on your organization’s deep strengths and passions — which you will see, have likely been at the core of what’s driven your growth to this point. This exercise will help you to stay focused on what drives the economic engine of your business.

Then, immerse yourself in the most current data. I am a big believer in ‘show me the data!’. Going deep in data from your business (customer, employee, competitor) can provide insight on how you can best adapt to the changing world around you.

The best tutorial on growth for any business is to read *Good to Great*. If you only ever read one busines book in your life, read this one. It is filled with wisdom and timeless advice for all leaders. And pay especially close attention to Chapter 5 — The Hedgehog Concept. It is the best chapter on shaping a focused strategy I have ever seen.

**Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?**

Focus, alignment, and fewer priorities are the key to performing in a crisis, or in a down cycle. Keeping things simple for your teams is an absolute must when you are facing headwinds in your business.

**In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?**

No question — it is talent. Companies with the best talent and strongest culture win in the Iong run.

As Jim Collins has said many times, the good to great transition companies began with one simple principle — “First who. Then What.”

**As you know, “conversion” means to convert a visit into a sale. In your experience what are the best strategies a business should use to increase conversion rates?**

Ensuring you have a talented business development team that is capable of building high trust relationships with customers, showing empathy and helping solve your customer problems is what really converts a lead into a sale.

**Of course, the main way to increase conversion rates is to create a trusted and beloved brand. Can you share a few ways that a business can earn a reputation as a trusted and beloved brand?**

Having a strong, positive company brand works on 2 fronts — it draws and retains a growing customer base. And it also has a powerful effect on your employment brand by positioning you as a best employer. Customers and employees have a choice — and living up to your brand promise everyday helps retain customers and employees. Let’s face it, keeping your existing customers and high performing team members is a lot easier than finding new ones!

**Great customer service and great customer experience are essential to build a beloved brand and essential to be successful in general. In your experience what are a few of the most important things a business leader should know in order to create a Wow! Customer Experience?**

I have always believed that there is a very simple value path for successful business, and it goes like this:

- A great culture creates a great customer experience
- A great customer experience creates strong financial performance (Revenue, EBITDA, Cashflow)
- Strong financial performance creates superior shareholder returns

**What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start a business? What can be done to avoid those errors?**

Over 30 years of working with CEO’s has shown me that the #1 mistake is not building a high-performance executive team fast enough, and I would go one step further and add that it can also be a fatal error to take too long to deal with an underperforming executive. The best remedy for this is to have a disciplined talent management process in place that is CEO driven, with strong Board engagement. And here are the key talent metrics to keep your eye on:

**Key Metric #1**: Ensure you have ‘A’ level talent (your very best leaders) in all pivotal roles (a role that is critical to driving the P&L, balance sheet, or your large people leadership roles)

**Key Metric # 2**: Ensure you have at any time, 90% of the ‘right people in the right seats’. Due to natural turnover in the business, you will seldom achieve 100%. Most important, the ‘right people’ FIT your organization, share the core values so they will lead with the behaviours you need, and are inspired by the purpose of your company and what you are trying to do. Plus they bring the strengths needed to win.

Always remember: ‘First Who. Then What’!

**Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)**

I have always believed that the most successful leaders, those who drive the most impact in work and life are builders, and not dividers.

For me, this simple poem by Edgar Guest says it all!

I watched them tearing a building down, 
A gang of men in a busy town. 
With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, 
They swung a beam, and the side wall fell. 
I asked the foreman: “Are these skilled — 
And the men you’d hire if you had to build?” 
He gave me a laugh and said: “No, indeed! 
Just common labor is all I need. 
I can wreck in a day or two 
What builders have taken a year to do.” 
And I thought to myself as I went my way, 
Which of these roles have I tried to play? 
Am I a builder who works with care 
Measuring life by a rule and square? 
Am I shaping my deeds to a well made Plan, 
Patiently doing the best I can? 
Or am I a wrecker, who walks the town 
Content with the labor of tearing down?

**How can our readers further follow you online?**

Effective March 1, 2022, please go to jimreidcoaching.com and check out my website or email me at [jim@jimreidcoaching.com](mailto:jim@jimreidcoaching.com).

**This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!**

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Source: https://authoritymag.co/articles/jim-reid-energy-management-trumps-time-management-to-prevent-executive-burnout (Authority Magazine, Pop Culture). Interviewee answers are first-person statements of the guest. Index of all pages: https://authoritymag.co/llms.txt