Meet Lisa Crilley Mallis

We recently connected with Lisa Crilley Mallis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

I didn’t—at least not right away. I believed working hard was just what a real business owner did. Early mornings, late nights, wearing all the hats… it felt like the necessary price of building a business I could be proud of.

But over time, the hustle took a toll. I was constantly busy, but not actually moving the needle. I’d spend hours tweaking copy, chasing team updates, double-checking things that should’ve been done right the first time—none of which needed my brain, my energy, or honestly, me.

Burnout crept in slowly. I was checking all the boxes but feeling drained, frustrated, and constantly behind. That “I’ll just do it myself” mindset had me buried in work that wasn’t in my Zone of Genius—and definitely wasn’t growing the business.

Eventually, I realized something had to give. If I wanted to grow and still have a life, I needed to lead differently. So I did what I now coach my clients to do—I made a “not my job” list and got serious about handing things off. If it didn’t need my strategy, my voice, or my decision-making—it was delegated, automated, or deleted.

I stopped trying to do it all and focused on what I do best. That’s when everything changed.

Burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like doing a hundred things a day and still lying awake at night, wondering what you missed because your brain won’t shut off. Once I started noticing what drained me—and stopped saying yes to it—I got my time (and my sanity) back.

Now, I protect my time, stay in my Zone of Genius, and yes—I actually have the brain space to think during the day. Plus, I get to kick back and listen to the ballgame on my deck in the evenings instead of answering email. That’s my kind of success.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

At Impactive Strategies, I help service-based business owners get out of the weeds, delegate with confidence, and finally get time to think again. My work is about helping clients build a business that doesn’t rely on them to keep every ball in the air.

What lights me up is the ripple effect this work creates. When a business owner gets 10+ hours a week back, they don’t just tackle a longer to-do list—they finally get to do the work they love again. They stop living in reactive mode and start leading with purpose. And because of the kind of work they do, every hour we reclaim gets multiplied.
My clients are service-based experts—consultants, nonprofit leaders, and professionals like attorneys, accountants, and therapists—who use their skills to make a real difference in people’s lives. When I help one business owner delegate better or lead more strategically, I’m really helping them serve dozens—sometimes hundreds—more. That’s what keeps me going.

Most of the people I work with are incredible at what they do—but behind the scenes, every decision, every approval, every reminder is still on their plate. They’ve hired help, but the workload hasn’t dropped. They’re constantly answering questions, redoing tasks, and trying to keep everyone on the same page.

That’s where I come in. With tools like my Delegate Like a Pro™ method and A.W.E. Time Management Framework™, we get clear on what needs their brainpower and what doesn’t. Then we build simple routines and clear handoffs that actually stick—even when things get busy.

Right now, I’m especially focused on helping business owners who’ve built small teams but still feel stuck doing too much. That’s why I created the Team Delegation Audit—a simple, fast way to figure out what’s working, what’s not, and what to fix first. It’s all about quick wins that buy back their calendar and their sanity.

What sets me apart? I don’t teach productivity in theory. I coach in the messy middle—when a team member is out, a client needs a rush job, and you still haven’t eaten lunch. I believe real time management is about designing a business that fits your life—not the other way around.

At the end of the day, my clients don’t want to do more. They want to do the right things, with the right support, and still have a life they enjoy. That’s what I help them create.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, three things have made the biggest impact in my journey: understanding how people work, building a time management system that actually reflect real life, and having empathy for the messy middle.

1. Understanding learning and work styles
My background in teaching—and later, certification in DiSC —opened my eyes to how differently people think, learn, and take action. This wasn’t just about time management; it was about communication, leadership, decision-making, and how people process pressure and change. I learned early on that success isn’t about finding the “right” tool—it’s about finding what fits the way you operate. That perspective has shaped how I coach, how I lead, and how I structure my own business.
Advice for others? Do you thrive with checklists or visual cues? Need quiet time to think or a sounding board to get unstuck? The more you understand how you naturally operate, the easier it is to build systems that fit—and actually stick.
2. Real-life time management
I’ve always been good at managing time—at least on paper. But early on, I underestimated the role that energy and decision-making play in how we use our time. I could have the most carefully mapped-out day, but if I didn’t have the energy—or wasted an hour deciding what to prioritize—it fell apart fast. That’s why I created the A.W.E. Time Management Framework™—to help myself and my clients build time systems that hold up on a Tuesday when three meetings ran over, the tech glitched, and the dog threw up on the rug.
Advice? Don’t just manage your calendar. Pay attention to your energy, focus, and decision-making. The best systems are the ones that still work when life throws curveballs.
3. Empathy for the messy middle.
I’ve lived it. The late nights, the overbooked calendar, the mental spinning—feeling like if I step back for even a second, everything will fall apart. That’s why I never approach coaching from a “you should just…” perspective. I work side-by-side with my clients, helping them sort through the overwhelm, the half-built systems, and the mental load no one else sees. I’ve been there, too—and when I’m honest about that, it’s easier to meet people where they are and walk with them toward something better.
Advice? Be honest about what’s not working. Owning your own messy middle makes it easier to create real progress, not just surface-level fixes.

Bonus: Relationships matter—even when you forget.
I can get caught up in the doing, the planning, the refining… the things. And sometimes that means I unintentionally put “people” at the bottom of the list. But every time I pause to connect—whether it’s with clients, collaborators, NAWBO friends, or a colleague over hot chocolate— I’m reminded that the conversations are the work. And often, they’re where the biggest breakthroughs happen.
Advice? Don’t try to build your business in a vacuum. Make space for people who’ll challenge your thinking, cheer your wins, and remind you why this business matters.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I’m a big believer in doubling down on your strengths. That’s at the core of the Zone of Genius work I do—because I’ve seen again and again that trying to “do it all” leads to burnout, while working from your strengths leads to real momentum. You get more done, have more energy, and make a bigger impact.

Take one of my clients—a nonprofit CEO—who was spending her evenings cutting checks and reconciling bank statements. Is she smart? Absolutely. Capable? No question. But none of that work tapped into her strengths. It drained her—and pulled time and focus away from the work that truly moved her mission forward. Once she restructured her team, delegated the financial admin, and shifted her focus to fundraising and strategic partnerships, everything changed. She brought in $83K in new donations, took a three-week vacation (with zero emergencies), and expanded her economic development efforts from three projects to fourteen. All within 4 months.

Or the financial advisor and recently widowed mom of four. She paused new client intake, thinking it would give her breathing room—but the truth was, she still needed the income. The real issue wasn’t how many clients she had; it was how she was working. She was buried in tasks someone else could have done better. Once she delegated client communication and figuring out how to automate their paperwork, she had the space to serve her clients well and grow the business. Within six months, she reopened to new clients, increased revenue by 50%, and got her evenings back with her boys.

Then there’s the CPA who took over her father’s accounting firm and set a bold goal: hit $1M in revenue without overworking her small team. The firm had the clients—but she was spending $300/hour expertise on $75/hour tasks. She was buried in client management, admin, and day-to-day operations, with no time left for strategy or growth. Together, we clarified her Zone of Genius—financial forecasting, strategic planning, and client relationships—and built a delegation plan that moved everything else off her plate. She trained her team to take the lead, shifted all new client onboarding away from herself, and stayed focused on high-value work. The result? She doubled revenue in three years, kept the same lean team the entire time, and didn’t miss a single one of her son’s out-of-state band competitions.

The common thread? When you stop trying to improve at things that drain you, and instead double down on what makes you shine, everything runs more smoothly. You move faster, lead with more clarity, and (bonus) actually enjoy the work again.

That doesn’t mean you ignore your weaknesses. It means you stop building your business around them. Instead, you create support—through tools, systems, or team—so you can stay focused on where you bring the most value.

My take? Know your strengths. Build your systems and team around them. Because when you lead from your Zone of Genius, you’re not just more efficient—you’re more fulfilled. And that ripple effect? It shows up in your team, your bottom line, and your life.

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