The Top 5 Reasons For Burnout
Why do people burn out? How can you keep from burning out?
Here are the top 5 reasons for burnout and how you can help your team from reaching burnout.
1) Passionless
Leonardo DaVinci once said, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” When you lose your passion and purpose, you lose productivity. Only having a strong sense of why you are doing what you are doing keeps one going. Unfortunately, many people lose their why over time. Either they have lost sight of it, or circumstances have changed, and the situation does not align with their why anymore. Either case, never forget why you are doing what you are doing. And if you can’t find the why that ignites your soul, then it may be time to find that again. So go on a soul search and spend some time getting back in touch (or for the first time) with your purpose and passions.
Here are a few good places to start:
Find Your Why (Book)
Living Forward (Book)
If you are leading a team:
Make sure your team knows why you are doing what you are doing. Constantly communicate the purpose behind every project and connect people’s passion to their daily duties.
2) Environmental
Environment impacts our wellbeing. Your growth and fulfillment are not only about your inner wellbeing but also about the ecosystem you are surrounded by. When you plant a tree in a small pot, it will stop growing once it reaches the walls of the pot. The tree is not the problem. It’s the environment that is limiting growth. To grow the tree, you have to put it in an environment that will allow it to develop without borders. Napoleon Hill said, “We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.” Toxic Environments stunt our growth and ultimately leave us drained and burned out. The first step is to try with all you have to change the environment and do what you can to create a healthy/growth atmosphere. However, over time if there is no change, it may be time for you to change to a life-giving environment.
If you are leading a team:
Make sure you create a healthy environment that does not tolerate toxic behaviors and attitudes. Then, check in with your team to get their feedback on your organization’s atmosphere.
3) Unchallenged
Many people get burned out because they are not utilized to their fullest potential. For example, read this snippet from a Gallup article entitled “The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Really the ‘Great Discontent'” written by VIPULA GANDHI AND JENNIFER ROBISON:
“A new Gallup analysis finds that 48% of America’s working population is actively job searching or watching for opportunities. Businesses are facing a staggeringly high quit rate — 3.6 million Americans resigned in May alone — and a record-high number of unfilled positions. And Gallup discovered that workers in all job categories, from customer-facing service roles to highly professional positions, are actively or passively job hunting at roughly the same rate.”
You must advocate for yourself if you are not fulfilled at your job. Make sure you communicate your desire to be challenged and for more opportunities. Don’t wait for a chance to come your way; begin to develop the necessary relationships and influence to move forward.
If you are leading a team:
Make sure you challenge your people to their highest potential, or you might lose them. Get feedback on how your team members feel their strengths are being utilized.
4) Overwhelmed
Undoubtedly there comes the point that we have so much responsibility on our plate that it starts to crush us. It’s one thing to go through a season of busyness; it’s another thing to live in a constant state of busyness. If you have no boundaries to your workload, you’ll get lost in a sea of work. There is only so much a person can do before they start to lose productivity, focus, energy, decision-making ability, fulfillment, etc… The longer you work without boundaries, the worse you actually become. Overworking backfires on you, causing underperformance. You think you are getting more done, but you start moving slower, making mistakes, and making poor decisions, causing more work. You have to manage your energy, not just your time. The only way to be in peak performance is to ensure you live within the boundaries of what you should handle.
If you lead a team:
Make sure you are keeping an eye on the workload of your team members. As a leader, you must balance the leading of those who can handle more but are not used to heavy workloads and those who are genuinely being crushed by their workload. Make sure you keep an eye out for burnout based on workload and help them balance out.
5) Underappreciated
Unfortunately, most employees feel underappreciated. The statistics are staggering when people feel their contributions are unnoticed. It is hard to stay positive and productive when there is no recognition for hard work. Just remember, only you see your value to its accurate degree. You can’t expect others to see your value if you don’t value yourself and you don’t communicate your value. I am not saying you need to walk around arrogant and selfish, but you do need to make sure that others see the work you are putting in and communicate it appropriately. Many people are too humble about their contribution and wonder why no one sees their hard work. Never be one to seek out applause, but at the same time, ensure you effectively display your work for others to see.
If you lead a team:
What you appreciate appreciates in value. The more you build up your team, the more they will build. Never assume that people know you are grateful for them. Make sure you use words and your voice to ensure they know you are appreciative without question. Be specific about what you are thankful for, don’t be vague.
Burnout is powerful, but keeping yourself from getting there is even more powerful!
