Avoiding Business Burnout
by Margaret Benefiel
Published on this site: January 9th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
In today's 24/7 business environment, burnout is a major problem
among business executives. How much time and money is your
company losing because of executive burnout? Do you know you
can avoid burnout in your staff-and reap higher profits? Here
are four things you can do this week to avoid business burnout
now and in the future:
Focus on self-transformation. For example, practice re-writing
your job description given your evolving challenges, and think
about how to become the perfect candidate for the job you
already have. A leader who focuses first on self-transformation
will have the energy and perspective needed to thrive. A focus
on self-transformation also inspires confidence from employees,
and can keep a leader attuned to issues of organizational
transformation. Bob Carlson, board member and recently retired
co-CEO of Reell Precision Manufacturing in St. Paul, MN, took
seriously the challenge of living up to Reell's values and
principles and in the process, found himself transformed:
"Having to frame decisions within the context of Reell's
values and principles, has made me a better person."
As a result, he found that he had more energy, made better
decisions, and that employees had more confidence in him.
Empower others to take ownership of the organization’s
values and mission. Help employees to find their personal
passions and connect those to the organization's values and
mission. Once employees share the vision for the organization's
future, the leader's personal load is lightened. Jean Quinn,
co-director of Sophia Housing in Dublin, Ireland, is committed
to empowering everyone in her organization. She recently trained
her managers in how to see themselves as leaders so they would
feel comfortable taking more responsibility. Her load was
lightened and the organization's effectiveness increased dramatically.
Practice listening. Listening is a powerful tool for understanding
an organization, building relationships, and knowing how to
invest energy strategically. This practice manifests as leaders
listen to themselves, to their senior leadership team, to
individual employees, and to a higher power. A leader can
also provide guidelines for employees that encourage respectful
listening. The resources of everyone’s inner wisdom then
are brought to bear on problem-solving and more effective
decisions result. Focused listening times can be employed
during staff meetings, daily briefings, or during separate
designated listening times. Jim Fitzpatrick, CEO of Mercy
Medical Center in Mason City, Iowa, commits himself to listening
to the pulse of the organization, especially when making major
decisions. Recently he appointed a Mission Discernment task
force to help him listen to the wisdom of clinicians, financial
managers, and chaplains in deciding how to address pre-adolescent
mental health needs. The result? An effective partnership
with a local outpatient mental health agency that increased
energy and vision for all concerned.
Take breaks. Everyone needs times of pulling away for refreshment
and perspective. Leaders can't afford not to take time apart
for renewal. This can be as simple as a walk outside at lunch,
or a commute listening to music that feeds one's soul. Seeking
out supportive friends or mentors both inside and outside
of the organization can also help refresh the leader. Furthermore,
leaders can provide opportunities for their teams to be refreshed,
thus lightening their load. Etta Erickson, program director
of oncology programs at HealthEast, a healthcare system in
the Twin Cities in Minnesota, holds an annual overnight retreat for the oncology leaders' partnership council. Retreats
include meditation time as well as time for telling funny
stories and playing golf. Frequent breaks renew energy, give
new perspective, and increase creativity and productivity.
There are dozens more ways to avoid burnout and achieve greater
effectiveness by bringing spirituality into the workplace,
but just start by following these four simple strategies and
see how quickly your energy is renewed.
Margaret Benefiel, PhD, teaches spirituality and
organizational leadership at Andover Newton Theological School
in Boston, and is CEO of ExecutiveSoul.com. Author of Soul
at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations (Seabury Books,
2005), she speaks widely, leads workshops and retreats, and
offers spiritual direction to executives and organizations.
She serves as Program Chair of the Academy of Management's
Management, Spirituality, and Religion Group. Over 300 executives,
managers, and other leaders have participated in her seminars
and courses. Learn more at http://www.ExecutiveSoul.com
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