Two Treatments For Leader Burnout

Burnout.

Just saying the word can get you tired. Probably because so many people can relate to what it’s like to just have nothing left in the tank.

Leaders are no exception.

With external pressures that come with leadership as well as the ones leaders put on themselves, it’s not always a question of IF burnout will happen, but WHEN.

Some of you reading this may have already experienced burnout. Some of you are heading rapidly toward it right now.

The question is what do you do when it happens, and how can you prevent it from happening so often? Here are two important points to remember…..

The Secret Is In Those Around You

First of all, find great people.

But that’s not the whole story.

You see, you can be good at identifying great people, but still have the wrong people for the team.

In your quest to build a great team, you must recognize where YOU’RE deficient, so that you can surround yourself with people to fill in those gaps. So find great people, but be sure you find the RIGHT great people for the team and tasks you are addressing.

Learn To Delegate

The second way to prevent or limit burnout is to delegate.

Some leaders truly love what they do, but are too addicted to the rush that comes with being good at it to delegate responsibilities. They instead try to do too much themselves, and eventually, it uses them up.

Some leaders mistakenly think that delegating means simply getting other people to do the dirty work. So, they dump work THEY don’t want to do on others and are surprised when employee performance is lacking or team member attitudes turn sour.

Delegation is extremely productive when you have the right great people AND you delegate tasks to them that are in tune with their strengths and passions. Tasks take so much less energy for someone when it’s something they love doing and are good at.

But for delegation to be successful, the leader has to clearly define the expectations, and define what success looks like. Then, they have to hold accountable the individuals they have delegated to. It’s not easy, but it’s extremely effective, and it keeps a leader from taking on too much.

Leader Burnout… Go Right And Great

Avoiding leader burnout is about more than finding great people. It’s about finding the right great people for the team you are leading. And, delegating tasks to those “right great people” is also key.

Keep in mind that delegating tasks can be hard for leaders at times, especially when they think they might be better at the task than the ones they are delegating it to. But, it’s good to practice delegating so that you can get good at doing it, just like anything else you want to get better at. It will free up time for you to do other leadership tasks.

So, save yourself from a spectacular crash and burn. Find the RIGHT great people and delegate tasks. You’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary stress.

Lead well!