Burnout is real, but it’s also misunderstood. Burnout comes from constant exposure to emotional and interpersonal stressors at work or at home, or even both! And who fits that bill? Hard working, high-achieving leaders like you, me and everyone listening to this podcast. People who don’t care rarely get burned out.
Joining us this week is Carey Nieuwhof, founder and CEO of Carey Nieuwhof Communications, which produces content and training resources for leaders. He will share wisdom gained from helping millions of leaders online and from his own experience understanding, avoiding, and battling back from burnout.
Overachievers want to crush everything in our sight – grow the business, grow the profit, add to the staff. But, with that, we have to learn to say “no” sometimes. It’s easy to overwork when you love what you do. It doesn’t feel like work at all! But that can be short-sighted. Sometimes, it’s better to stop, look how far you’ve come, and take a rest. Otherwise, you could be on the fast road to burnout.
Sometimes we take our gifts for granted. We focus on the other stuff and just wing it when it comes to doing the stuff we’re best at. But, using Carey’s methods, find your “green zone” – the 3 to 5 most productive hours of your day – and focus on your strengths during those times. Spending your best hours on things that you don’t enjoy can be draining, which over time will lead to burnout. Don’t misunderstand: Part of being a leader means, sometimes, you have to do things you don’t like. But, bottom line, don’t cheat your gift.
It might get messy, but that’s okay. Are you burning out because of a desire to overachieve? To prove yourself to others? What is the root cause of those feelings? Pride? Ego? Don’t underestimate the value of talking with someone, even a professional counselor, about the “why” behind what is draining you and pushing you to burnout. If you can’t find balance, that’s a sign that something needs to change.
Each week for the rest of the year, Tricia and LZ will be going back and forth giving away a copy of one of their favorite books. 2020 was quite the year, so we want to help you and someone you care about to get a head start going into the new year.
This week we are giving away one of my top picks which is “Leadership and Self-Deception” by The Arbinger Institute. To be entered to win, you need to:
If you want to earn some extra credit, share their Instagram post in your story and tag @belaysolutions, @triciasciortino, and @lisazeeveld for an additional chance to win.
Today on the podcast, we have a special episode courtesy of our friends at the Maxwell Leadership Podcast. BELAY CFO Lisa Zeeveld sat down with Mark Cole recently to co-host an episode of the Maxwell Leadership Podcast about how to get time back as a leader.
In this Bonus Next Step, Tricia and LZ share how to identify and prioritize your most important emails so they don’t get lost in the mix.
Communication is a critical part of leadership. But managing email can be tedious and frustrating for busy leaders. In this episode, Tricia and LZ will discuss their strategies for email management and reaching “inbox zero.” Leaders will get new ideas about how to manage email, how Tricia and LZ delegate to their virtual assistants, how they prioritize their emails, and a lot more!
