[April 6, 2018] A close friend of mine was quickly headed for leader burnout. It was 2007 in Iraq; Engineers were pushing hard to prepare for the troop “surge” ordered by President Bush and things were not going well. Recently promoted to the rank of Colonel, he had been working long hours without any time off and stress showed in his apathy for the job, his short temper, and excuses he’d give for not getting the job done.
He was showing the classic signs of leader burnout and there was little I could do to help. It was obvious he had lost his passion as a senior military officer. My friend struggled to focus and was unable to come up with innovative ideas to help; something he was known to excel in. I got the sense that he had given up hope.
“Getting to burnout is not good leadership; it’s actually poor self-leadership.” – Unknown
Leaders headed toward burnout seldom recognize the path they are on. Having a close friend who is not afraid to talk about it openly and honestly, is essential to stopping leader burnout. By luck, my friend and I sat down as I explained the danger he was in and what “we” could do about it.
Here are several ways to stop leader burnout. These are from my personal experience only and may not work for everyone. Most of these come from my time in combat. Taking immediate action is important but the real key is to success in preventing leader burnout is accomplished with the help of a friend:
- Identify the most important tasks necessary to get the job done and put your energy there.
- Take mental breaks. I found that going to church services, reading a novel, taking a longer break for meals, getting a haircut, and listening to music works well.
- Improve physical fitness. It helps clear the mind.
- Delegate more tasks and avoid micromanaging.
- Divide the workday into segments where specific actions occur on a schedule.
- Talk more with close friends.
- Take time off.
In any organization, laziness is always frowned upon but its opposite, workaholism, can also have negative consequences. It is therefore far better to prevent it than to be forced to deal with the aftermath of a leader who is burned out and everyone is suffering the costs.
New here to your blog. I like the variety of leadership topics and the practical advice. Thank you!
Good to have you on. Welcome.
Nice addition to understanding leadership. Many folks have yet to understand this burnout issue well enough to take action to either prevent it or recover from it. The fact that we are more aware does make it easier to prevent. My favorite “burnout” quote from Bill Owens, “Leadership is an active role; ‘lead’ is a verb. But the leader who tries to do it all is headed for burnout, and in a powerful hurry.”
Good article from INC that lays out “5 signs” a leader is burned out and worth the read. But I would suggest everyone listed to Sam Bacharach’s video at the bottom of it. There is some value in him talking about leader “ownership”. Short and to the point. https://www.inc.com/samuel-bacharach/5-signs-burned-out-leaders.html
Tracey … yes, thanks for the link.
Good to bring this subject to light. Thanks.
Gen Satterfield has identified many of the signs of burnout and makes several recommendations how to stop it. Most of this is straight forward and right out of the unwritten handbook on how to be an effective leader. But what about letting these folks deal with burnout on their own? There is value for a leader to learn the hard way what NOT to do.
Never heard of this before. I asked my dad and he told me it’s from too many hours at work and stress. Cheers!
Burn-out is common among many military folks and they don’t have to be leaders either. We recently read about US Navy ships colliding. And now this with military jet crashes. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deadly-thunderbirds-crash-marks-4th-military-aircraft-incident-this-week/
Yes and very unfortunate. I’m not sure burnout is the cause but there is certainly something we’re not being told.
I think Hillary Clinton is in burnout mode. She displays all the symptoms. Am I wrong? Some are calling her crazy as she flits about and continues to blame everything and everybody for her failure to be elected president. And, this is happening more than a year after she lost. Crazy or burnt out?
Interesting theory but I think it just might be that she gets paid well and has adoring fans all around her. Actually, she’s in a fantasy bubble.
There are points in a person’s life where this is more likely to occur. That is where a good mentor comes in handy; to point out those times and be standing by to help. I called upon my family and friends to help once and was fortunate to have a great mentor who helped guide them in their support of me.
Better to prevent burnout than to stop & recover from it.
Fear of failure drives many. That’s what I think anyway. FEAR OF FAILURE.
Good point.
🙂 I agree that “fear” is a major force in a person’s life that might drive one to burn-out. It’s certainly not the only one but I think life’s circumstances that we are thrown into is part of it too.
Leaders who are careful and methodical in how they exercise their leadership skills and those who develop a close, quality network of peers, friends, and family are less likely to have this experience.
Common problem elsewhere. I too have seen it and the bad it can do to one’s psychic.
I like the quote from unknown. In my personal experience those who burn out are often not truly good leaders.
A common issue, I would think, with senior leaders. However we also see this burnout today in many junior leaders because they 1) don’t seek help or advice, 2) are under great pressure to perform in a job they have little experience in, 3) have a passion but their work effort is not focused, etc. Lots of reasons but to overcome the problem does, in fact, require help; preferably a friend who keeps confidentiality.
I was lucky and never did have a burnout although that happened once when I was working extra at school, three children, and husband deployed to Afghanistan. It can really get to you quickly without realizing it.
Thank you and your husband for their service to our nation.