While there is a public debate about sick leave, many founders are constantly working at the limit – without a break, without time off. Mawave CEO Jason Modemann explains how he personally deals with it.
While Chancellor Friedrich Merz discusses whether Germans are sick too often, the reality for many founders is completely different: most never call in sick. You are constantly working at the limit. Hustle is something like a proof of achievement. Jason Modemann, CEO of Mawave, tells us how he deals with this.
In my entire career, I have probably never been officially on sick leave for ten days. And even on these days I usually at least picked up my cell phone briefly or answered a few emails. I was hardly ever really “off”.
“Who did I want to prove something to?”
Especially in the first five years as a founder, being sick was an absolute no-go for me. I had this feeling: If I miss a day, everything stops. If I’m not there, we lose momentum, growth, control. Looking back, I think to myself: Who were you trying to prove something to?
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Because the truth is: the world doesn’t end if you don’t work for a day or two. A healthy company can withstand this. If it doesn’t, the problem isn’t a sick day.
Fortunately, I am rarely truly ill in the medical sense. But every three or four months I notice very clearly: Now I need a cut. My concentration becomes tougher, my patience becomes shorter, my energy less.
Consciously take a break
In the past I would have ignored and dismissed such signs. Today I take this seriously. That doesn’t mean I’ll log off for two weeks and go to bed. But I consciously take a day out: sometimes just for fun, sometimes just for some rest. But at least no calls, no emails, no Slack. Surprisingly, this is often enough to recharge and be back to 100 percent.
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What has changed for me is not my resilience, but my mindset. For a long time I saw illness as a weakness. I now see it as a signal to take responsibility. That’s exactly the difference for me.
Why both sides are wrong – and what matters
Because hustling means: Always keep going, no matter what your body says. Responsibility means doing something to remain productive in the long term.
In my opinion, the hustle culture is just as problematic as the illness debate. Because both think in extremes. One side says: You are missing too often. The other says: You must never be missing.
Basically, both measure performance incorrectly. Because in the end it’s not about how many sick days you (don’t) have, but about delivering consistently – without burning yourself out. And that requires one thing above all else: to lead yourself honestly.
Jason Modemann is the founder and managing director of the social media agency Mawave Marketing. At 27, he manages 150 employees. Mawave’s customers include Red Bull, Nike and Lidl. He is also the author of the book “Always hungry, never greedy.”
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