Hi , Harvard Business Review recently published an article on the three types of burnout. It was so valuable that I shared it with many clients, some of whom are on the verge of one. And there came another thought – when the whole world seemingly is screaming 'burnout' collectively, what if we can spot it early, and prevent it? In my experience supporting extremely time-poor leaders, I noticed many of them are on track to burning out, and there are always signs. The issue was... They weren't seeing the patterns until it was too late. Having experienced burnout myself, I know the price to pay to get 'back on track' can be very high. Not fun and sustainable at all. So, in this issue of the Leadership Agility Force Newsletter, I'm going to give you some cues (and a different angle on the HBR article) in the form of personas. If you have read my book, 8 Paradoxes of Leadership Agility, you'll know that I'm a big fan of metaphors. And here's what you gotta do. 1. Identify YOUR burnout persona. 2. Pick ONE action. Deal? Have a go – let me know what you think. Hit reply. Agile leaders are the future, Chuen Chuen If you don’t find this valuable, you can permanently unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. No hard feelings. If you like it, tell your friends to subscribe here.
What's Your Burnout Persona?
1. Hamster in a Wheel You are running fast. And the faster you run, the faster the wheel spins. The wheel makes a loud creaking noise, and you wonder, will the wheel break apart or will your legs give out first? Pick an action: - Start saying 'no' (nicely).
- Do the necessary. Delegate those that you can. Delete the unimportant.
2. A Pendulum You had fire in your gut once. Somehow, that fire was doused. You can do the job well but does it make your heart race? Not so much. Life is like a hypnotic pendulum. Left, right, left, right. Pick an action: - Explore job rotations.
- Volunteer for passion projects.
- Figure out what and where you want to invest your energy. Speak to your manager/sponsor so new opportunities, when available, can come your way.
If you are unsure what you are passionate about, look for patterns from the highlights of your happiest moments in the past. Still unsure? Check out the CliftonStrengths assessment. 3. Broken Compass People probably envy you. They think you should be happy. But you are not. Maybe you worked hard to get where you are but are no longer sure why you should go forward (or upwards) anymore, or in which direction. You checked your compass, but it's pointing nowhere. Pick an action: - Determine three things most important to you in this season of your life.
- Imagine you have lived your best possible life. Summarize it in a sentence.
- Do the values exercise. (Email me)
4. Saviour You are important. So important you can't find time to take leave, get married, or have a baby (you get the idea.) Even if you do go on a holiday or are unwell, your laptop never leaves your hands because people just can't do their work without you. Or can they? Pick an action: - Make a list of things that can only be done by you. Start teaching someone to do it, one at a time. (hint: coaching and mentoring skills)
- Go on mandatory vacation. No emails. No messages. Tell your team you are not contactable. (reminder: the world will not end because you are on leave.)
New Membership Site – Leadership Agility Force (Coming soon!) There's more gold, diamonds, and gems on the new membership site. Cheat sheets, quick implementation guides, deep dives into strategies, and more. Keep a lookout.
Thanks for Reading
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