The Hidden Cost of Being “Functional”

Christian Ray Flores here,

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If you’ve been in your field for years and still feel undervalued, it’s not your fault — but it is your responsibility to fix it.

A good friend of mine built a massive business. His vitality was the thing that made him a founding member. But as the business grew, complexity set in. Power had to be shared, politics crept in, and the only thing that mattered was functionality.

The empire was expanding — but his life was diminishing.

Even with top-1% talent, he was sidelined. His vitality — the very spark that built the company — wasn’t valued anymore. What followed was anxiety, health issues, and a slow erosion of joy.

This gap between functionality and vitality is a silent epidemic. It’s why so many capable leaders are anxious, burned out, and quietly wondering if their best years are already behind them.

Here’s what that gap looks like in three scenarios:

• Entrepreneurs stuck running operations while their creativity starves.

• Intrapreneurs pigeonholed in a role while their best ideas gather dust.

• Sociopreneurs carrying a mission forward but invisible to the very people who would eagerly fund it.

I started working with my friend when he was just emerging from that darkness. We talked about moves that made him nervous — leaving, starting fresh, navigating complex exits. I was confident in his vitality, even when he wasn’t.

Fast forward to today: his health is back, joy is obvious, and vitality lives in every cell of his new firm. Clients now value who he is as much as what his company delivers. He’s playing a completely different game.

Next, I’ll give you three diagnostic questions to see if your vitality is running in the green, fading to yellow, or stuck in the red — and more importantly, the simple shifts that flip each one back on. And I’ll share the bold move my friend made that changed everything.

If you’re not a paid subscriber yet - maybe now is the time to join the deep dive tribe of XE.