Practice deServing Leadership Without Burnout
A deServing Leader's job is to continually serve, guide, and support their teams. This continuous engagement can foster stronger collaborative teams and positive work environments, building trust, loyalty, and a culture of belonging.
It also requires a constant, significant expenditure of emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental energy. When you fail to set boundaries and take this effort too far, neglecting to replenish these energies, it’s easy to experience burnout.
The old saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” and it’s true: Burnout does not benefit either the deServing leader or their teams.
I have personally struggled with this, especially during the pandemic. Global Leadership Forecast indicates 60% of leaders say they feel "used up" at the end of the day. Employees are burning out, so leaders step in to support them and burn themselves out in the process.
It's a challenging cycle that is tough to break. If leaders continue serving their team without boundaries, they risk burning themselves out. If they stop supporting their team altogether, the situations worsens for them, too.
We have all heard the pre-flight announcement that tells us to put our oxygen masks on first before assisting others. Leaders need to adopt a similar skill. Taking care of yourself is perhaps the best way to begin caring for those you serve.
So, what should deServing Leaders do? Here are a few tips:
Remember the Big Picture.
I frequently use this technique to help myself. Having clarity around your big picture can help you get joy and fulfillment from your daily tasks. Starting your day with your big picture in mind provides clarity around what's important. It also enables you to decide what's worth your energy.
Set Boundaries.
Most people find this the most challenging, but it's crucial to find your purpose, align your tasks with how you contribute to that purpose and impact others, and find your BIG yes! Knowing your bigger yes gives you a framework to say no. I am slowly learning to slow down before saying yes to ensure that my no’s help me stay focused on my BIG yes!
Find Out What Drives Your Team Members.
Give your team projects that encourage and inspire them, and it will help mitigate symptoms of burnout. Begin by asking your teammates a straightforward question – "What drives you?"
Many people won't be able to answer this right away, but here are a few additional questions you can ask to help guide them:
1. Describe a time when you thrived, felt confident and loved what you were doing.
2. Describe what you loved doing when you were a student.
3. Describe your best day — even a personal situation when you felt you were genuinely thriving.
Keep asking open-ended questions about situations where they felt like they were contributing, were motivated and excited about what they were doing. Eventually, some common themes will emerge — leadership, connecting with people, technical expertise, a sense of adventure or a challenge. This is what drives them. Once you know, use it to motivate them.
Take Action.
Small changes can have a significant impact. Here are a few examples of how deServing Leaders have reworked their approach to avoid burnout:
1. Set aside time to unplug from work and spend time with family.
2. Learn to replenish your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy.
3. Use delegation to empower and inspire others while helping take projects off your plate. The leader will have more time, and the employee gets to work on a challenging task that fuels their ambition.
If you're feeling burned out, your instinct may be to keep your head down and keep grinding, but it's essential to take a step back and put on your oxygen mask first. This way, you'll be able to support your team better.
Your teams deserve the best of you rather than what's left of you.