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The Harsh Truth About Burnout
October 6, 2024
Apr 7, 2024
Are You Fueling a Burnout Culture? Here’s How to Stop It
Burnout is not just about workload.
A recent Harvard Business Review article highlights that burnout stems from increased collaborative demands, organizational complexity, and poor coordination.
Microstresses—tiny but pervasive stresses—build up quickly.
Here’s how you can tackle burnout head-on.
1. Complexity is Killing Clarity
Organizational complexity often fuels burnout. Companies like Trader Joe’s and LEGO reduce stress by simplifying their product portfolios and processes, preventing the endless piling of responsibilities.
Action Step: Streamline processes and portfolios to prevent complexity from building up over time.
2. Overcollaboration is Exhausting
Too many meetings, emails, and communication platforms drain employees. Establishing clear communication norms and reducing the number of tools used will help avoid collaboration overload.
Action Step: Limit collaboration tools and set norms for email and meeting behavior, such as using bullet points.
3. Automate Mundane Tasks
Don’t rely on people to manually coordinate routine tasks. Automating workflows on Slack or similar tools can free up employee time and reduce stress.
Action Step: Invest in technology to automate routine tasks and cut down on manual work.
4. Limit Role Switching to Reduce Stress
Frequent role-switching between teams leads to relationship rebuilding stress. Keep team members in roles longer to reduce relational burnout.
Action Step: Limit role-switching to longer intervals (e.g., 15 months) to maintain stable team relationships.
5. Manage Priorities, Avoid Overload
Overlapping priorities and uncoordinated asks from different stakeholders can lead to priority overload. Leaders must coordinate priorities across teams to ensure focus.
Action Step: Focus on aligning teams with a clear set of priorities to prevent burnout caused by conflicting demands.
6. Plan Hybrid Work Effectively
Random office days create stress when key people are not in the office at the same time. Plan return-to-office days to ensure collaboration happens efficiently.
Action Step: Use organizational network analysis to schedule team members’ in-office time intentionally.
7. Teams Need Trust, Not More Members
Assigning employees to too many teams creates stress. Keep teams small and stable to build trust and efficient collaboration.
Action Step: Limit team sizes and focus on long-term assignments that build trust within teams.
8. Purpose Drives Performance
Employees who understand how their work contributes to the company’s goals are more motivated and engaged. Regularly reinforce your team’s purpose to help them stay focused and prevent burnout.
Action Step: Have frequent discussions about how employees’ work contributes to the organization’s mission.
By addressing the root causes of burnout through simplified processes, purposeful communication, and better role management, leaders can create a work environment that supports both productivity and employee well-being.
These actions will help reduce the pressures of collaboration overload and organizational complexity, making burnout the exception, not the norm.
Find out how ready you are for C-Suite leadership. Take my scientific readiness assessment at https://csuite.drdegnan.com.
BURNOUT TEST
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Every year, I take on a limited number of professionals who aspire to a successful executive leadership career without burnout.
If you would like to learn more, set up some time with me and discover if we are a fit, by going to https://meet.drdegnan.com.
Leadership is hard. We spend a lifetime perfecting to lead teams and organizations with tangible results that change people’s lives.
Let’s make sure we get it right without burning out.
Hi, I’m Oliver.
I have been living in the trenches of a C-suite leader for over 17 years, leading thousands of employees between Startups, PE, and Fortune 50 companies. I am the former SVP and CTO for IBM Watson Health, Chief Architect for Intuit in Silicon Valley, and founder of MoreTalent AI with a successful exit in the 7-figure range. Every newsletter I send out has invaluable insight to help you succeed in your journey.
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