Today, many bosses and leaders are feeling burnt out. Exhaustion whittles away at their self-esteem, confidence, and productivity. With all the many videos and blogs about “being mentally tough,” it becomes even more challenging to acknowledge that you need help. Unfortunately, “keep going” and “work harder” rarely provide the insights you need. And telling yourself, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” doesn’t reduce burnt-out feelings either.
What’s missing? Having those conversations you’ve been ignoring and avoiding.
“Really?” You may ask.
“Yes!” I will respond.
Failure to ask for help, clean up misunderstandings, and use avoidance strategies sabotage one’s inner power and leave one feeling burnt out.
Here’s How to Create Conversations that Reduce “Burn Out”
Talk with Your Coach. The first step is to confidentially discuss the issues and fears with your executive coach. If you’re honest, you will discover that you were not listening when an assignment was given to you (so you failed to capture required metrics), that you overreacted to gossip, or that you didn’t explain the purpose of an assignment you gave to your team members, etc. Etc. Etc. Etc.
This conversation with your executive coach will guide you to take responsibility and clarify how to “clean up” the miscommunication to get back on track. You will feel energized afterward!
Talk Straight. When you’re willing to talk straight, you can resolve anything with anyone. Use “I,” and don’t blame others for the issues or feelings you are experiencing. Listening is a critical part of this process.
Schedule the Tough Conversations. Come to these conversations prepared. If the results from multiple conversations don’t cause a positive change, give one last notification, then let them go. Otherwise, you will continue to be moody, frustrated, and difficult to work with (aka burnt out).
Make the Difficult Decision and Honor Yourself. What if the issue is with your boss or client? If you have a boss or client who is a dictator or tyrant, you must find a different job or client. But before you do so, have a conversation to make a positive difference. The conversation will require a lot of diplomacy and preparation (aka talking with your executive coach first). Remember, just because your co-workers deny having trouble working with toxic personalities doesn’t mean you have to put up with it (aka feeling burnt out).
Manage Employee Personalities. Conflict, factionalism, and blame will burn out most bosses and leaders quickly. If employee personalities drive you up the wall, it’s time to get real and get to the core issue. The quickest, most effective way to get to the core is to use a qualified job fit assessment. For example, when an employee is “fact-driven,” and the other one is focused on “feelings,” OR when someone loves to gossip. In contrast, others want to focus on the details of the project; it’s time to encourage conversations that appreciate differences. Use a qualified facilitator that provides objective insights to ensure everyone is heard, valued, and respected.
©Jeannette Seibly 2024 All Rights Reserved
Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor/Leadership Results Coach with over 31 years of practical experience guiding leaders and bosses to improve their hiring, coaching, and managing practices and produce amazing results! And yes, achieving business success always starts with having the right people in the right jobs! She has been an Authorized PXT Select® Partner for over 32 years. Contact Jeannette to learn more about these state-of-the-art job-fit assessment tools or how to coach and manage your people to achieve incredible results.
A note from Jeannette: Talking it out is essential to reducing burnout. Yet, it can be hard to have tough conversations when you’ve been ignoring and avoiding them. Hoping the issue will disappear will leave you frustrated and overwhelmed because issues rarely resolve themselves. Instead of attempting to handle this on your own, consider talking to someone who has over 31+ years of resolving people’s issues and fears. Contact me now!
It’s time to talk it out! Are there days you dread managing people, projects, and your team’s financial performance? You’re not alone! Everyone has their blind spots! NOW is the time to get the guidance you need to make the right changes during 2024. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams successfully. The bonus is that they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.