A 2021 Korn Ferry survey noted 89% of professionals say they’re suffering from burnout. Burnout creeps up on you in my experience, much like extra kilograms do if you consistently overeat over a period of time. This extract from Nick Petrie's article on what really causes burnout, sums it up well.
"In our interviews, a single factor on its own (e.g. unrealistic workload) rarely led to burnout. Burnout happened when a cluster of factors all occurred at the same time. It was these ‘burnout combos’ over a sustained period which tipped people over. These combos often came in threes:
As Joy VerPlanck, D.E.T., and Emma Sarro, Ph.D. state in their article Performance Punishment: The Reason You May Be Losing Your Best People, being given the toughest assignments or problems to solve that seemingly no one else can, is a great way to spike a dopamine high.
Status at work can deliver a double dose of feel-good emotions, so it’s no surprise status junkies end up being overachievers. Hearing words like “I know you’re swamped, but there’s no one else I can trust to get it done fast and right” is enough for some to ignore red flags or competing demands on their time.
We value high performers and we reward them with lots of challenging work. It should be the perfect recipe for success. So why isn't it? How do we drive and incentivise for sustained high performance, high value, without burning out our high performers.
At the General Counsels Forum (Mining Indaba 2023), Africa Legal presented a panel discussion on the topic Driving for Value, Not Burnout: Managing limited resources, multigenerational demands while striving for measurable and provable KPIs.
Diverse definitions of driving for value stimulate an internal narrative that simultaneously drives value and leads to burnout. The panel outlined some of the following as things to consider.
1. Change the narrative
Burnout starts with stories that romanticise burning the candle at both ends, having to be perfect, not being able to fail, and forgoing other aspects of your life to focus on delivering like a superhuman. As a society, as an industry, as organisations, leaders and individuals, we need to rewrite the narrative.
2. Establish systems enabling the right work being done by the right people
When you hear the words "I'm too busy to delegate this to anyone. It’ll take too much time to explain how to do it, it’s easier to do it myself", your systems aren’t designed to support the right people doing the right work. Enable your teams to establish systems by rewarding non-billable, system development work.
3. Lead the conversation
The moment leaders talk about burnout, an awareness of "I'm not alone" washes over everyone. Leaders have a responsibility to enable conversations about behaviours that collectively contribute to a journey to burnout.
4. Self-leadership
Anxiety, stories that keep you locked in a pattern of proving yourself, people pleasing and your lack of boundaries, are precursors that make you ripe for burnout. Combined with lack of support, low autonomy, and an organisation that rewards excessive work, it's possible your journey into the 12 stages of burnout has already commenced. Please check in with yourself – reflect on these questions from the Mayo Clinic.
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