 | Let's explore the deeper "meme"ing of burnout. |
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Read Time: 3 minutes. |
In nearly every coaching session I've been leading, I have a leader on the edge of burnout or one of their employees suffering from it. |
But why? |
Have we gotten softer? Did the definition grow? Has work gotten worse?
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I'm pretty sure the answer is all over the above. And more. |
But you can't treat burnout directly. You need to uncover the root cause cause. And that cause is different for everyone. |
Here's your diagnostic cheat sheet with suggested remedies. |
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The 11 Causes of Burnout (in no particular order): |
I don't assign blame. |
I try to figure out "what's true" so I can then decide what to do about it. |
A few of these will be controversial. I know this. |
But just because it might be unpleasant, doesn't mean it's not true. |
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Meaningless Work |
We need a paycheck. But once we meet our basic needs, we want more. We need a purpose. |
Some struggle to name their purpose. Some hesitate to chase it. |
Endless existential questions lead to burnout. |
💡Tip: Inventory the activities that bring you joy. Make more of them. |
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Inefficient Work |
Even with a purpose, we're unwilling to waste our most precious resource: Our time. |
It's everywhere: Purposeless meetings, unread reports, incessant Slack notifications. |
Burnout increased when switching costs went exponential. |
💡Tip: Build 2-3 unbreakable work blocks each week. Go deep. |
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Endless Work |
This can be a volume problem.
This can also be an "always-on" problem. |
Leaders need a realistic understanding of what's reasonable.
Employees have no defense other than clear boundaries. |
The resulting standoff yields burnout. |
💡Tip: Measure your work. Set a baseline. Show how you can't defy physics. |
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Lost Autonomy |
Take two people: |
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Without any more context, you can be confident "A" is happier than "B". |
Same activity. Entirely different outcome.
Burnout festers in stolen sovereignty. |
💡Tip: Make recommendations. Then, make them happen when approved. |
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Blurry Boundaries |
You can have anything you want. Not everything.
Every "Yes" today is a "No" to something previously important. |
This flexibility can be a show of true ownership.
It can also mean you can't separate big from small. |
Burnout happens when we outsource border defense. |
💡Tip: Force tradeoffs. "I can take on X, but it means Y pushes out. Agree?" |
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Unquestioned Unfairness |
It's easy to see small slights and let them slide. But we store them up and weave them into a tale of injustice. |
Don't suffer in silence. Curiously questioning is a better path.
Don't assume the sinister. Figure out what you're missing. |
Burnout smolders in imagined inequities. |
💡Tip: Assume positive intent. Ask to understand if things don't make sense. |
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Broken Connection |
We are tribal. We need to feel a part of the group.
Our work is increasingly global. Offline. Asynchronous. |
We're 7x more likely to stay at a company where we have 1 friend.
Burnout and loneliness are close cousins. |
💡Tip: Set up one coffee, call, or convo each week. |
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Diminished Rewards |
Many are working harder to earn less.
It's just math: Inflation has outpaced wages. |
Running harder but losing ground is demoralizing.
Pretending this isn't a factor is dehumanizing. |
💡Tip: Do your own research. Can you make materially more elsewhere? Use that info to make your case or make your move. |
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We Named It |
Words have power.
Naming something makes it more accessible.
Why do you think there are so many pharma ads on TV? |
We pattern-match the symptoms and self-diagnose the cause.
As a result, it grows beyond the clinical definition. |
💡Tip: Tell yourself a different story. You're not burned out. You're tired after a hard push. But hard things make us stronger. |
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We Glorified Laziness |
The pendulum is always swinging. |
We used to admire those who did the impossible—those who outworked us. Now, many people tear them down. We diminish their effort. |
That diminishing lowers our standards. And helps us rationalize stopping short. We've extended the definition of burnout to give us cover. |
💡Tip: Don't lower the standard. Extend your timeline. Append "yet" to all that you can't do. Transform burnout into growth. |
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We Gave Everyone a Trophy. |
Business is competitive. Everyone can't win. |
If you spend the first 20 years of your life never losing, how can you build resilience to weather the storms of work? |
Resilience is the antidote to burnout. |
💡Tip: Do a fear-setting exercise. Find out if the dragons are bigger in your mind than in reality. |
***** |
The greatest capacity any leader can develop is embracing two contradictory things being true simultaneously. And dealing well with that reality. |
When it comes to burnout: |
As leaders, our decisions - who we hire, the work we accept, the behavior we tolerate - can contribute meaningfully to burnout. As employees, our decisions - where we work, the standards we hold ourselves to, the stories we tell - are also part of the issue.
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I've come to see past burnout because it means too many things. Therefore, as a means of making progress, it means very little. |
Burnout typically suggests there's poor behavior masked in virtue. |
The question is, whose behavior? |
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What You Missed |
Here are a few posts that got outsized attention this week. |
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And look who became a Top Voice on LinkedIn this week: |
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Podcast Alert |
After giving the keynote at the most recent eCommerce Fuel Live, I was invited to the eCommerce Evolution podcast. |
We got into some meaty topics: |
Why pruning is more important than fine-tuning How to stay flat while adding a "minimum viable" structure Creating incentives to deliver reliably today and suitably tomorrow
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Find it on Spotify, Apple, or your favorite platform. |
 | Level Up Your Leadership: How to Hire, Manage, and Lead a Thriving eCommerce Team |
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Thank you for reading. Appreciate you! |
Dave |
| | | | Ways To Work With Me | MGMT Accelerator - We're debating a "night school" cohort. Four nights in July, 8-10pm ET. Lower price. Hop on our waitlist to get early access. | Customized Leadership Programs - Bring our MGMT Accelerator in-house in a tailored, two-day intensive workshop. Ideal for 20+ leaders. | 1:1 Executive Coaching - My roster is currently full. Drop me a note if you want to be notified when a slot opens up. | Speaking - We're now booking keynotes for Q3 & Q4. Hit reply on this note, and we can set up a time to discuss topics and pricing. | MGMT Playbook - If you're here because someone forwarded this email, please subscribe before you leave. | |
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