You are a leader and it is expected of you to help your employees prevent burnout…
But what about yourself?
Is burnout looming over you?
Who takes care of you?
How do you, as a leader, prevent burnout? Read my tips!
Robert was very happy with his new job as CEO of the manufacturing company. He had been given clear tasks by the shareholders, the company was closer to home, and the offered salary was higher than at his previous employer.
He clicked with the shareholders, and Robert started working vigorously.
After Robert started, he gradually got to know the company and the employees better. And he discovered a mess of problems. Several employees were burned out and had been at home for months.
The numbers were not very promising, and the financial ‘skeletons’ were coming out of the closet. The shareholders were not very visible because they were busy with a major takeover. And Robert was asked to integrate the new company and make the combination profitable.
Robert was an experienced manager and stepped up his game. It was tougher than he thought, the days got longer, the evenings too, and he worked through the weekends.
His wife sensed the new situation very well and warned him. But it was in vain. After all, it was only temporary… He just had to persevere a little longer.
Eventually, the light went out, Robert was exhausted. And when he came to me for help, the diagnosis of burnout had just been made.
CEOs also risk burnout. Especially in situations where their endurance is being tested for a long time, combined with heavy responsibilities.
And situations where success is promised, but achieving it is hardly feasible.
Often there are conflicting interests at play. Deep emotions of fear, sadness, or anger are usually difficult for them to express in their immediate environment. Once they end up in burnout, they feel anxious, helpless, and isolated.
And I notice that they feel ashamed of the situation.
Signs of burnout
- Chronic fatigue, difficulty sleeping
- Quick to irritate
- Overthinking
- Lack of concentration
- Little energy for social activities
- Unable to enjoy relaxing activities.
Prevention is better than cure
- Leaders are also replaceableLeaders must realize that they are not indispensable either. They should be able to go on vacation, and the company should continue to function if the leader is not there for a while. If this is difficult, there are often problems with delegation or the team is not yet fully staffed.
- Strengthen self-awareness, timely recognitionMany leaders are not or less aware of the signals their bodies give. It helps enormously if they have people (business and personal) around them who alert them to signs such as increased irritability, loss of focus, fatigue. For the person in question, such a process is gradual, for the environment, it is often noticeable more quickly.
- Enough sleepThe effect of sufficient sleep is much greater than many people think. Sleep is one of the most productive ‘activities’. It is the key to emotional, physical, and mental recovery.
- Enough exerciseIf there is little time for sports, then walk for half an hour a day. It gives your mind and body a boost and increases your creativity.
- External supportEvery top athlete has at least one coach, often more, and that is just as important for leaders to be able to deliver good performance.
Timely recognition and learning to deal with different stress levels usually have a very positive effect. Dealing with stress, keeping energy levels high is an important key to success.
It is not for nothing that “stress and energy management” is usually on the agenda for programs with leaders. After all, most of them have never learned how to deal with stress. Until it goes wrong.
One of the topics of Golden Leadership is taking care of yourself.
If that doesn’t work, how can you take care of your employees? How do you manage your stress? How do you keep your energy levels high? You can read more about it in my book “My best team ever, in 7 steps to Golden Leadership”.
