In the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2023 Work in America Survey, a notable trend emerged that shows that cynicism is on the rise. This lack of interest and emotional detachment to one’s work is not just about having a rough day; it’s a growing sense of disillusionment and frustration with one’s job. And it all starts with burnout!
And it doesn’t just hurt us as individuals, it hurts our business, our team – and likely even extends to how we treat our clients or the vibe they get from us.
To build on this – The World Health Organization (WHO) did a study in 2019 that showed that burnout is not an illness or health condition – as many think. Instead, it’s a “syndrome —a phenomenon” whose symptoms not only include feeling completely exhausted, but also can manifest in negative attitudes and behaviors. These often show up as being cranky on a regular basis, can’t seem to focus, and having feelings of depression or anxiety. And, eventually develops into cynicism.
When all of this leads to becoming cynical, then that’s getting into dangerous territory that’s hard to come back from. So we want to ‘nip it in the bud’ before it gets out of hand.
It’s dangerous because it is no longer a situation of whether you’re just physically and emotionally drained. It can change you, fundamentally. It can send you on a path of questioning your value and worth.
The implications of cynicism are far-reaching. For you, as leadership, it can cloud your judgement and decision-making processes. It can affect your leadership style and your ability to inspire and drive the team forward – because you’ve lost your mojo.
It can affect your clients, as well. People are sensitive to the energies and attitudes of the people they do business with – and even if you don’t interact with your clients directly, what has been trickled down to your team gets passed on to your clients – and it can severely damage their trust in your business, and their willingness to continue working with such gloomy gus’s.
Given all of this – it’s essential to take a proactive approach to avoiding burnout; to keep you from crossing over into the cynic’s realm. This is where my “5 Leadership Lifelines to Avoid Burnout” come into play. Check these out…
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Lifeline #1. Take Micro-Breaks
To quickly reset and clear your head, it’s important to take a structured pause in your day. Take steps to stop any possible interruptions. The world can wait 5-minutes.
You might step outside for a few minutes or simply get up and wiggle around (a favorite Brendon Burchard recommendation that I do).
One of my former CEO’s would grab a microbrew from his mini-fridge and just stare out the window at the hills behind our office. He would completely blank out and clear his mind of anything else, other than the scenery.
Lifeline #2. Operate Primarily Within Your Strengths
It can’t be understated how important it is to start working on shifting your own work, back to the work that gives you fulfillment and joy. Do this in baby steps versus trying to eat that whole elephant all at once – but get started. Move that needle.
Of course, we all have to do things we don’t really like to do – but that part of our life should be minimized as much as possible. I think the 80/20 rule applies in this situation, quite well.
Lifeline #3. Work When You Are Most Productive
Like it says in the infographic – Why fight it? We are not all geared toward the same productive times of day!
Some of you are early risers and can jump into work and be productive at 4:00am! I don’t know how, but you do it. So honor that!
Some of you are like me and don’t kick into your full groove until mid-afternoon and could work until the wee hours of the morning.
Of course, this isn’t full-proof because we have to be available for other’s, as well – but the more we do it, the more accomplished we feel – and the less burnout we experience.
Lifeline #4. Honor Those Boundaries!
This is probably the one I harp on the most! And, it is also a case of ‘physician, heal thyself!’ We, as service providers, are givers. We want to serve! We want to help! And, it’s often really hard to say no. But we are also only one person with only so much time and energy to go around. So, please set boundaries and stick to them.
- Set categories for types of time blocks you need. (e.g. client availability, team availability, focused work time, personal time) – I recommend limiting it to 3 – 5 categories.
- Determine when you want to block out time for these categories. Keep your Lifeline #3 in mind when deciding. For example – I have time blocks when I’ll take client calls, time blocks for focused work where I won’t allow myself to be disturbed, and time blocks for open office hours – and most importantly time when I won’t be available at all, like nights and weekends. These are the ones that are most important to stick to, because you need your ‘away from office’ time.
Of course – there will be emergencies, but as you start to work through all of these Lifelines, the number of emergencies should start to decrease, as well. The next Lifeline will be one major key to this.
Lifeline #5. Be Strategic With Your Delegation
Thinking things through when delegating makes the difference between actually and fully getting that task off of your plate – and just temporarily pushing it off only to have it come right back at you at a later time.
It’s important to be strategic about delegation, ensuring that you are passing it off to someone who has the skills and desire to take it on – and then empower them to own it and be successful in completing it.
Begin implementing these 5 Lifelines today but don’t try to do everything all at once. Come up with a strategy to take one or two baby steps at a time, that will lead to success within a few weeks.
