I’m sneezing over a keyboard writing this one, so I have no idea if I’ll get this entire thought out (Sidenote: Clorox makes a great keyboard disinfectant for laptops). But none-the-less….Burnout.
I’m a go-getter – a self-starter who loves to have an objective and has REALLY high personal standards. Consequently, when I am working most of the time I am not working for my employer, cause, or even money. I get to a point with most tasks where I start to “envision” a product and that can be very dangerous.
Why? Glad you asked…
If you’re fortunate enough to manage a “go-getter,” one thing you really need to be on the lookout for is burnout. Us go-getters are often visionaries/idealists and we don’t work for you. We work for a greater good, noble causes, innovative ideas, to serve, to succeed, to meet the goal, to stun the crowd, to “change the game, ” and that makes us very dangerous. Dangerous because while we don’t work for you, depending on the maturity stage and the product in our view, the sad fact is we don’t work for us either….and that is a recipe for disaster/danger/ (standby for a really big word…..)……cataclysmic exigency, also known as burnout.
Quotes and Signs of pending Cataclysmic Exigency a.k.a. Burnout
(I am sick and trying to sound smart…sue me)
Quote: “This will change the way we do business…”
Famous last words before therapy to repair a psychotic break. Lol. No really, change is good. But change after change after change after change can be hell on someone who’s determined and focused. Many organizations lose some of there best and brightest talent right after their biggest successes, because while all can agree change can be good, many organizations don’t assess or assign the appropriate value to the human costs.
- Quote: “I have no idea why anyone would ever do [insert task] this way…”
When undoing months, years, or generations of bad policy/processes and their effects, make sure you watch the real workers on staff. Correcting inefficiencies can quickly become black holes of time, energy, and morale for the motivated. These sort of tasks cost organizations something really important if not monitored and managed – Their internal reputation. I know of more than a few corporate giants that I would NEVER work for because of colleagues, coworkers, and friends who’ve told shocking internal horror stories. Today’s motivated workers know all that glitters is not gold. Make sure while you are fixing problems, you maintain your reputation with those who are helping you re-steer the ship.
- Sign: Mr. Hyde the crying Ware-wolf
Remember the person you hired? Are you having trouble finding him/her? When personalities start to morph, take notice. When the strong willed start to cry, the peaceful start to fight, and your Jekyll’s become Hyde it’s your sign that you need to manage before you lose your most valuable asset – the people on your team.
- Quote/Sign: “Cheesecake Anyone?” – The Golden Girls effect
Cheesecake Factory Tuxedo Cheesecake = Bliss
Are the chairs in your office looking a little stressed? Are the buttons of your team members under duress? Pay attention. A 2007 article from Psychology Today explains in-depth why stress causes people to eat (it’s a decent read if you’re a dork like me), but simply chronic stress causes people to eat. A much-less scientific example of this are America’s early 90′s sweethearts Blanch, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose – also known as the Golden Girls. In most episodes, the Goldies ended their days or coped with their stress through cheesecake. In result, season-by-season they get wider-and-wider. If you’re a manager, an unconventional stress/burnout indicator might be wrapped up in a once-over of your staff or how they respond to a bowl of candy or free cake.
- Sign: Huddles of Unhappiness
Coworker often means Commiserater (spell check says this isn’t word, I think it should be). If you see a lot of mini-huddles happening in the office, chances are folks are co-coping (another term I am inventing) with the stress. While these can be good for avoiding burnout, you want to keep an eye on their frequency as they may be an indicator of disaster ahead.
- Sign: W.R.I.D
(pronounced Wah-Rihd) Work Related Immune Deficiency. Sick doesn’t always mean stress, but it might. The U.K.’s Chartered Institute of Personell and Development conducted a study that showed “Stress is likely to become the most dangerous risk to business in the early part of the 21st century.” Their study shows significant connections between stress level and sick leave of the 400,000+ employees surveyed. If your staff is abnormally sick, you might want start managing to avoid a burnout crisis
Like I said, I am writing this sick so I don’t have energy to give my take on Burnout, but here’s a link to a study that’s as old as I am, but has some timeless info on how to recognize and avoid burnout. I don’t agree with it all, but there’s a lot of good in it.
- I’ll post a part two soon, on L.E.L (Limits-Expectations-Leave) which are my three quick tools for pre-navigating the burn-out issue.
