As a coach, I am a professional question asker. One of my favorites to ask clients is: What do you want to be known for?

It's a daunting question. It feels BIG and important and complicated to find the answer.

But what I've discovered through over a decade of coaching people through navigating their careers is that it's not so much about finding the answer as it is about holding the question.

Mission driven leaders are loyal to the mission. Loyal to the team. Loyal to the organization. But what about loyalty to self?

Sometimes people ask what it means when we say that we work with mission-driven professionals. It may not be what you think.

When I was a nonprofit leader, I sat square in the middle of an organization that was fiercely mission-driven and had high standards and ambitions. Even though we weren't in the type of work where there were emergencies, everyday certainly felt like one.

Like so many nonprofits, we were understaffed and under-resourced. We were stretched thin and determined to serve beyond our capacity.

It was a marathon, but we were sprinting the whole way.

For me, it's taken time (3 years and counting) to rewire myself from the nonprofit martyrdom approach.

Here are some ways to rethink your work —and to step into a leadership style that’s both authentic and sustainable for you.