Why are we seeing more leaders talking about burnout? Burnout is affecting more leaders than ever before. Leaders in the last 5 years have had to adapt fast. They have had to make an increasing number of decisions and make them at all hours of the day.
Increased workload
Many leaders are facing increasing demands and responsibilities in today’s fast-paced business environment. In the last couple of years, there have been big seismic shifts happening which we need to adapt to and adapt to fast. As I reflected here is a short list of influences that are making long-term strategic planning a thing of the past.
COVID and having to make and understand changing health policies about what is appropriate and what is not and under what circumstances. With changing legislation about this issue.
Flexible / Hybrid working whether we like it or not it’s here and we need to adapt how to run organisations differently.
Cybersecurity we now also need to understand the threats to our organisations from unseen and unknown people that are moving at a pace that no leader could have understood 5-10 years ago.
AI is yet another disruption to the way in which we work. No idea what this means or how to adapt
Staff shortages across so many sectors are impacting what we can do and how we do it.
Staff expectations of the employee and employer relationship have changed. The expectation is that staff can bring their whole self to the workplace and be accommodated and more importantly embraced.
With technology allowing us to be available 24/7, it can be very difficult to disconnect from work and take time for rest and rejuvenation. It’s also increasingly difficult to carve out the necessary time for deep thinking with the constant availability.
Pressure to perform
Leaders are often under pressure to meet high expectations and deliver results quickly. This can create a culture of “always on” and lead to burnout if leaders don’t take time to recharge.
Lack of support
Leaders may not have the necessary support or resources to manage their workload effectively. This can include a lack of support staff, inadequate training, or insufficient resources to complete tasks. Keeping pace with IT changes and HR requirements alone requires leaders to think differently.
Personal factors
Leaders may also experience burnout due to personal factors such as relationship problems, financial stress, or health issues.
What can you do?
It’s important to note that burnout is not a sign of weakness or failure. It is a very real and common issue that affects many leaders, and it can have serious consequences on both their personal and professional lives. By recognizing the signs of burnout and taking steps to prevent it, leaders can maintain their well-being and effectiveness over the long-term.
You need to look after yourself first!
Prioritise self-care
As a leader, it’s easy to get caught up in work and neglect your own needs. However, it’s important to prioritise self-care to avoid burnout. Make time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as exercise, reading, or spending time with loved ones.
Delegate tasks
You don’t have to do everything yourself! Delegating tasks to others can help lighten your workload and free up time for other important things in your life. Make sure you trust your team and communicate clearly to ensure that tasks are completed to your satisfaction.
Set boundaries
It’s important to set boundaries to prevent burnout. This includes setting limits on your work hours, prioritizing your own needs, and learning to say “no” when necessary.
Get support
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or professional counselor about your struggles with burnout. You don’t have to go through it alone.
Reflect on your values
Burnout can be a sign that you are not aligned with your values or goals. Take some time to reflect on what is most important to you and make adjustments in your life as needed to ensure that you are living in alignment with your values.
Remember, as a leader, taking care of yourself is not only important for your own well-being, but also for the well-being of those around you. By prioritising self-care and setting boundaries, you can prevent burnout and be a more effective leader in the long run.
The impacts of excessive stress affect your ability to lead and also your team’s performance. As a leader, it’s natural to experience a certain level of stress when managing a team. However, there’s a fine line between healthy stress and stressful leadership. When leaders become excessively stressed and create a culture of stress within their team, it can negatively impact the team’s performance and productivity.
Everyone at some point has worked under a manager who handles stress poorly. They respond by “kicking the cat”. The “kicking the cat” analogy refers to the effect of emotional contagion. Anger and anxiety pass from senior management to subordinates, from the powerful to the weak, and eventually to the bottom, the most vulnerable, who have no place to vent their anger and who then become the ultimate victims.
The impact of stressful leadership on team performance can be felt in so many different ways but none of them are helpful.
High-stress levels among leaders can lead to several negative consequences for their team members not just emotional contagion and mental health concerns but reduce the capacity and capability of the team. Below are a few ways in which stressful leadership might impact team performance:
Reduced Productivity
Leaders who constantly exhibit stressful behaviors may cause their team members to lose trust in their abilities. This lack of trust can then lead to reduced productivity and reduced morale. When you are in these team environments you see symptoms like the blame game, gossiping, and presenteeism. Without faith or confidence in leadership, staff will be unable to perform at their best. If the leadership is not demonstrating confidence in the vision and decisions staff themselves become unsure. Staff really struggle to be their best if they feel that leaders themselves are struggling to perform.
Decreased Creativity
Teams that operate under high-stress environments may not be as receptive to new ideas and may lack creativity. Stressful leaders may inadvertently stifle creativity by not allowing their team members to think outside the box.
Higher Turnover
Stressful work environments may eventually cause some team members to become burned out. This would ultimately lead to them leaving the team and even the company. High turnover can lead to lost revenue, decreased productivity, and increased employee recruitment costs. Even staff who stay in this environment generally won’t be the high performers. It is the staff who can fly under the radar and simply turn up.
Tips for Reducing Stressful Leadership
It’s important to recognize the signs of stressful leadership and work to reduce it. Here are a few tips for reducing stressful environments for your team:
Create transparency
Leaders should be transparent about the effects their actions might cause on their team. Open communication helps to create a positive work environment. Owning mistakes and using this space to create learning moments can not only create transparency but also provide ways to relieve some stressful moments.
Encourage team bonding
Encourage your team to bond and create connections through events and team-building activities. Fun can relieve stress and shared stories. Connection and trust are essential ingredients for high-performing teams. Team bonding is more than just one event it is essential that this is a learned skill and one that is continued to enhance culture.
Support autonomy and creativity
Giving team members the autonomy to make their decisions can increase creativity and lead to greater productivity. True leadership is about empowering staff to work independently and allowing them opportunities to make their own decisions and mistakes.
Celebrate the team’s work
Recognizing and celebrating the team’s accomplishments can create a positive work environment and increase team morale.
In conclusion, it’s necessary for leaders to be mindful of how their leadership styles can influence their entire team’s dynamics. Creating an environment that is less stressful and more open can help increase the team’s performance and productivity.
I recently had the joy of listening to Shane Fitzsimmons Commissioner of Resilience NSW give a talk recently. And I have a small confession I am a fan! During his talk, he had a brilliant analogy for leadership and for your teams which I thought was incredibly relatable. Flat tyres are like leadership.
Your underperforming staff are like a flat tyre and sometimes your flat tyre just needs to be pumped up. It’s lost some pressure but nothing is fundamentally wrong with the tyre it just needs some air. Or your tyre has a puncture, but it is fixable it needs a patch and to be pumped up and can be refitted back on. But sometimes your tyre has blown out and simply just needs to be replaced.
When he explained this a bit further the flat tyre also can have different consequences. A flat tyre if you are on a unicycle, is different to a flat tyre on the front wheel of a fully laden passenger bus.
What does this mean for your leadership you need to respond to your underperforming staff like flat tyres. Sometimes you need to decide if they simply need a pump up or are they a complete blowout on a fully laden school bus. You as the leader need to respond to your underperforming team the same way as a flat tyre. Who needs a pump and who needs to be replaced because they are dangerous. I was thinking about the stressors of COVID and teams. I know there are a lot of leaders at the moment who are pumping up tyres. I am wondering how many leaders in workplaces are trying to pump up tyres that just need to be replaced. During this time when teams are remote, it is like having a faulty pressure gauge. it is harder to get clarity and focus on which of your tyres are flat.
Shane is a cool calm leader who was brilliant during the black summer bush fires of 2019-2020. I tuned in on a daily basis to listen to his updates as it was something that affected me and my family. We had a fire front near our house for months.
He was plain speaking, direct about when we needed to be concerned, gave the facts. But he also cared. I think that many of our modern leaders could learn how to manage a crisis from Shane Fitzsimmons. His authenticity and empathy were genuine and this was his part of his advice, show up, show you care and be authentic.
His talk on community engagement and leadership just made me admire the man even more.
Dani Lombard, is an amazing leader. This Leadership Whisperer Podcast episode was fun and a little embarrassing for me, Dani has put the challenge out of her interviewing me. So stay tuned for the next episode.
Dani is full of insights and very different from some of our previous guests. If you are interested in understanding what it takes to be an entrepreneur and still smile at the end of the day this is one episode you are not going to want to miss. She is an international PR veteran with over 20 years of experience in running campaigns and making brands shine.
Dani is an incredible entrepreneur, starting her own PR agency Dani Lombard Public Relations when she was just 28. Since then, her company merged with a Melbourne agency, taking on the same name – Soda Communications.
Running her own agency, she has learned a lot about running a business and motivating teams.
What is Dani’s insight into what is leadership?
Good leaders care.
Leadership is hard to describe but you know when see it and you feel it when you are around a good leader. Behaving and acting in way that inspires the people around you to be better. In addition it is some one who is good at creating a strong community.
You will want to listen to this episode to find out more about what Dani thinks about leadership. Shares her personal stories about meeting Richard Branson. She shares her vulnerability in talking about managing people and the reality of how hard it actually is, and it is an ongoing challenge.
What it is like to be a woman in leadership and the trap of falling into feeling like you need to appear powerful adopting those masculine traits.
In this interview, she also talks about not taking yourself too seriously.
Dani’s recommended reading list
Culture Fix , How to create a great place to work, by Colin D Ellis
Peter Griffith talks live with Leadership Whisperer
Peter Griffith is an exceptional leader and mentor. He is a brilliant facilitator and has an impressive background in strategy, leadership and coaching. For almost 20 years he has specialized in unlocking the winning potential of organizations and individuals, particularly in customer experience, sales and service, and leader-led culture change.
He is a brilliant facilitator and incredibly generous with his time and expertise. He has an impressive background in strategy. leadership and coaching. His insights and experience are always motivating and inspiring. As a leadership coach he has the perfect balance of helping you extract you
Peter’s insight into what is leadership?
Leadership is about finding good answers to tough questions. If you can crystalize the problem by asking the right questions you can find the solutions.
Listen to this episode to find out more about what Peter thinks about leadership.
In this podcasts he talks a little about The Grey Scale Most leaders have darker, less desirable aspects of their personality which, left unknown and unchecked, have the potential to derail them. The GreyScale Test ™ examines dark personality traits that contribute to highly effective leadership or pose a risk.
