
Think Big, Get Big: The Goal-Setting Strategy That Changes Everything | E362
From Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse by Monkhouse & Company
March 12, 2026 · 48 min · Season 2 · Episode 362
About this episode
Eric Partaker discusses the myth of work-life balance and the importance of goal-setting in transforming identity for success.
Work-life balance is a complete myth for founders and CEOs. The experience myth keeps people pigeonholed. Goals should force your identity change, not the other way around. Eric Partaker—McKinsey consultant turned Skype early team member turned restaurant chain founder turned CEO coach with 1.2M LinkedIn followers—breaks down why everything you've been told about building a successful career and company is backwards. In this episode, Eric shares why he went from world's worst procrastinator (bought books in 2000, didn't read them until 2010) to super producer, why he lost everything when his restaurant chain went up in smoke during COVID, and why that experience made him a better coach. He also unpacks the cultural differences between US optimism, UK scepticism, and Norwegian Janteloven (the law that says "you shall not think you are anything"), and why the Vikings' entrepreneurial spirit somehow disappeared from modern Norway. What you'll learn: ⚖️ Why work-life balance is a myth—it's really about work-life satisfaction 🎯 Why going for 10X goals forces identity change (not choosing identity first) 🌍 How cultural attitudes toward ambition differ: US vs UK vs Norway 📈 Why 10X…
People in this episode
Host: Dominic Monkhouse
Guest: Eric Partaker
Topics covered
- goal-setting
- work-life balance
- identity change
- cultural differences
- entrepreneurship
- performance
Keywords
- work-life balance
- goal-setting
- identity change
- cultural attitudes
- entrepreneurship
- performance
- 10X goals
- procrastination
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: McKinsey, Skype
Books & works: The Now Habit
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