There’s a term used on Broadway called “Post-Show Blues,” which speaks to an emotional state after a show closes. It’s a common phenomenon of feeling down and having a sense of loss even following a successful run. After exerting a tremendous amount of energy, time, and commitment into one singular collective production, suddenly, it’s over, leaving a sense of void, inertia, and unknown as to what exists ahead.
“Post-Show Blues” is a state that transcends the performing arts and entertainment. Businesses of all sizes and service offerings experience a similar effect at various stages of growth and sale. I have met many CEOs who have sold their companies and experienced a similar manifestation or post-sale blues. One particular individual I know made $80 million in a day in a company sale, and when I saw him, I expected that he would be elated. But, on the contrary, the grief exhibited on his face was stunning. He was genuinely despondent after selling what he had spent years creating.
Midpoint Recognition
In many respects, a feeling of loss after a successful project or company sale is an unavoidable human reaction. Yet, it creates a moment to realize the greatest satisfaction of an organization’s growth isn’t the end but rather the midpoint.
I find it analogous to driving. After spending much time navigating, planning, and approaching a journey, you’ve made it through the side streets to the exit onto the freeway. At that moment, you accelerate and feel the rush of wind through the window. That’s the exhilarating midpoint. Soon you will be traveling, matching speeds with other drivers, and eventually at your final destination. Yet the first instance of entering the on-ramp, your team and vehicle gaining momentum, can be the most enjoyable moment of a journey.
Rubicon Moment
There are two parts to starting a journey. One is the leadership perspective of initiating an endeavor, and the other is the collective team assembled for the pursuit. For every business leader, there inevitably arrives a Rubicon moment, an irrevocable decision to cross into the unknown with no going back. Caesar famously crossed the Rubicon to enter Rome, knowing he would succeed or face death. But, more important is his knowledge that the army he had assembled would face a similar fate.
Entrepreneurs and business leaders ultimately face “Rubicon” decisions when launching a business or project. While less literal in life and death outcomes, the underlying principles are the same. The gravity of initiating the game planning and being in charge of the idea is heavy. It takes focus and acceptance of the weight and internal fortitude to push through the obstacles even when things go sideways. In these moments, you have little room for error and even less for reflection. This is instinctual survival mode.
Climbing the Mountain
Ascension is a secondary phase of organizational growth. Preparation, focus, and strategy are required before lacing your shoes at the start of the trailhead. Your goal is clear - to reach the summit. No one truly knows the trial and tribulations ahead, but there is trust and belief the hard decisions on the climb are worthy of the task.
As business leaders, we are engrained to believe success occurs when reaching the apex. However, often that objective quickly changes to the next summit or a “now what” syndrome, losing the opportunity to embrace the progress made.
Midpoint Arrival
The often-repeated Waldo Emerson concept that life is a journey, not a destination, ultimately comes into play. Along the mountain climb, or what I would describe as the “midpoint,” there is a sweet spot or rush that needs to be remembered, harnessed, and embraced. It’s an electrically charged moment of collective engagement and anticipation for reaching the top, mixed with a feeling of joy at seeing the summit and feeling a sense of accomplishment made from the base camp. That’s the spot that drives future growth and should be celebrated, reinforced, and remembered.
Focus Shift
Entrepreneurs are susceptible to feeling the post-show blues. A prodigious challenge is what often drives a leader to build something from nothing, yet once an objective is met, they are without their mission. The mission and experience, above all, is the value. However, business leaders are told to focus on the exit or end rather than enjoy the climb.
On the day Phil Knight of Nike sold his original company, he remarked in his memoir the deep desire to build it again. Phil faced bankruptcy, lawsuits, market failures, and tariffs, each with the threat of crashing his company. His health and relationships were on a yo-yo as he stressed to keep the Blue Ribbon Company – now known as Nike – alive. Yet on the very day, those fears dissipate, and he becomes a multi-millionaire and eventually a billionaire - he is melancholy!
This is because the journey for the entrepreneur is the reward, now the paycheck or career ascension. Find any business owner who sold their business, and after the normal formalities of responses, they will admit how much they missed it.
Far too often, leaders are focused on the end rather than the ride. How often do you take an honest inventory of progress made? When was your last quiet moment on a Zoom call or within the confines of your office or venue to reflect on the organization that exists?
At one point, this venture was an idea without form or function, yet today it is a reality. This achievement is one worth savoring and remembering. Capturing the on-ramp moment of your career is hard. How do you know when you have reached it? What if the ramp is longer than expected? In all reality, it doesn’t matter.
The on-ramp is meant to serve as a tool to energize you toward your summit. To remarry the principles of what helped you reach the summit. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate the progress made as the ultimate reward of an entrepreneurial journey constantly shifting, redefining, and growing new pathways of possibility.