Leading through burnout
Burned-out leaders leading burned-out employees.
Sound familiar?
It’s estimated that 66% to 72% of leaders feel burned out. That’s significant and may be no surprise to you.
In the past 24 months, leaders have had to grapple with significant disruption in their personal and professional lives while often being expected to put the well-being of others – specifically their family and employees – first.
Even more startling than the burnout percentage is that a little over nine in ten (91%) executives see themselves as caring leaders, but only 56% of their employees agreed. So what’s a leader to do?
According to Adam Carroll, Paragon’s IT Leadership Forum Facilitator, to be an effective leader one must prioritize self-care.
“Ultimately, employees are looking for confidence, composure and energy from their leaders,” said Carroll. “Leaders who don’t create margin in their day for their own self-care risk losing employees.”
A common phrase leaders hear from Carroll, “people don’t leave companies, they leave people,” has never been truer than today. A burned-out employee is ultimately going to leave a burned-out leader.
The mental health of all of its employees leads to overall organizational health, and this is especially true for leaders. Without a stable and energy-rich leader, the organization and department suffer.
As Calm Business declares, Self-care is about doing right by yourself. It’s having your own back and being deliberate with your choices.
5 Self-Care Tips for Leaders:
- Carve out self-care time on your calendar and treat it as though it’s one of the most important meetings of the day.
- Establish a routine – for exercising, journaling, reading, etc. – make it a normal part of your day so you can’t miss it!
- Take a clarity break. Slowing down and removing yourself from the business for an hour or two can help you think more clearly about where you’re going and what you’re doing – both personally and professionally.
- Identify action items that you believe can help reduce the feeling of burnout, including what blockers are preventing you from taking care of yourself.
- Practice mindfulness. Becoming more self-aware of how you’re feeling can help lessen anxiety and reduce stress.
If you’re leading people and feeling burned out, one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your team is to carve out time for yourself. When you’re better, those around you will be better.
Interested in enhancing your leadership skills? Join one of our three IT Leadership Forums:
2023 IT Leadership Forum – Registration Now Open
Arizona IT Leadership Forum
Beginning March 2023