249. Hunger Wins

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Aug 19, 2025

Explore why hunger, not long hours, drives true productivity and competitiveness in the workplace. The discussion challenges the myths of overwork, highlighting burnout's inefficiency. Learn how cultivating a culture of ownership and intrinsic motivation can foster genuine engagement. Discover the importance of hiring the right individuals to protect company culture and promote sustainable growth, emphasizing flexibility and trust. This conversation redefines workplace success by prioritizing passion and well-being over outdated metrics.

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INSIGHT

Competitiveness Is Not Measured By Hours

Competitiveness is being mistaken for long work hours, but hours are a poor proxy for hunger.
True competitiveness is ownership and passion, not slavish time at the office.

ANECDOTE

Early Consulting Job Burnout

Patrick Lencioni recounts working brutal hours in his first consulting job and how it proved unproductive.
He says long hours bred complaining and gaming the system rather than real hunger.

ADVICE

Stop Normalizing Long Hours

Avoid making long hours the regular expectation because it burns people out and reduces smart work.
Reserve long nights for occasional calls to answer the real needs of customers or crises.

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How can you create a workforce of hungry people who aren't trying to prove their worth by the number of hours they work? And how can you help your coworkers build a sense of ownership and passion around their work?

In episode 249 of At The Table, Pat and Cody explore why “hunger wins” when it comes to building competitive, effective teams. They challenge the misconception that long hours translate to productivity. They also reveal how to create sustainable competitiveness that inspires people to go above and beyond—without burning them out.

Topics explored in this episode:

(0:40) Hunger and Competitiveness

* Global trends and misconceptions about competitiveness, including China’s 996 work model.

(4:12) The Pitfalls of Overwork

* Why excessive hours lead to burnout and inefficiency.

(7:25) Hunger in Organizational Culture

* Hunger can’t be legislated or regulated—it must be built into culture.

* The importance of avoiding extremes, hiring the right people, and providing flexibility.

(10:09) Ownership and Sustainable Competitiveness

* How ownership fuels hunger and why pushing employees is sometimes necessary for growth.

(15:41) Hiring Right and Protecting Culture

* The importance of hiring competitive people and quickly addressing poor fits.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

At The Table is a podcast that lives at the connection between work life, leadership, organizational health, and culture. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube).

Follow Pat Lencioni on https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth and http://www.youtube.com/@PatrickLencioniOfficial, and https://x.com/patricklencioni.

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4iGGm8u), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.