Turning Burnout into Commitment
I’ve experienced burnout three times in my career.
I’d Never Felt So Tired
The first time I was working on station upgrade as a 27-year-old project engineer. The hours were long, the drive home was traffic logged and I was studying a master’s at night-time. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep I was concentrating. My brain didn’t get a rest, and my body wasn’t getting any exercise. Fatigue and Poor Health. My manager had issues with the amount of chatter within the team and split us into separate rooms, I was treated like a child. No Autonomy. I was languishing didn’t feel like I was even going to get ahead. It felt like it would be like this forever.
At the end of weekend track possession, I stood there looking at all the work that had been delivered and all I felt was ‘Meh.’ I wasn’t proud, I didn’t care. All I good think about was there’s another one of these a couple of months, and I don’t want to be here. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. My thoughts were negative, and I was exhausted. The next day I reached out to my network and started looking for a career change. A couple of months later I moved into a role as a consulting engineer.
Not Again
It was only a year later in my role as a consulting engineer that I experienced burnout a second time. I was pushing it, because I was overpaid for that industry, despite taking a 25% pay cut. I wanted to prove myself. I was still studying at night, and I still wasn’t exercising. Fatigue and poor health. I also didn’t feel I was progressing fast enough as a design engineer, and in my opinion, I didn’t have a supportive mentor to guide me. My thoughts began to turn negative. I can’t do this. I can’t. I can’t. My performance slipped and made some minor mistakes on a quantity take-off. The client didn’t take this kindly to this error. He didn’t want to hear my apologises, chastised me, and rang my manager to remove from the project. My pride was stung, my energy was down, and I threw my toys out of the cot. I made a call and immediately secured a job for double my current salary in construction management. I gave my 2 weeks’ notice.
Now I do regret how I handled this situation, if I had been clear headed, I would’ve ridden it out and left the company under better circumstances.
Third Times A Charm
My third case of burnout occurred when I was a 34-year-old Senior Project Manager. My 2nd child had been born, disrupted sleep and lack of time to exercise were the root causes this time. My performance dropped and I was constantly cranky. Unlike the previous two times I’d been through burnout, management noticed and took-action. The business General Manager said I could exercise through the day if I needed too, but most importantly they acknowledged I was struggling and supported me through. As the sleeping improved, I was able to get back to normal self, and started exercising before work at a nearby climbing centre. This is notably the only job I didn’t leave when I hit burnout.
What Have I Learned?
Burnout (complete exhaustion) and Languishing (that feeling of ‘meh’) are serious problems. The affect both the individuals and businesses involved with reduced productivity and commitment. From my own experiences whenever exercise, sleep and autonomy were impacted my mental state suffered. My stamina and ability to work hard, and long was diminished.
I was most engaged and committed in my role as a Senior Project Manager despite working more weekends, and longer than I had in the previous 4 years. Because I was giving full autonomy – the business owners trusted me, I could see a clear career progression, it was clear what we were trying to achieve, I was paid well, I could exercise, and I was sleeping.
The big take-away from all this for me is that work-life balance is not about working a set number of hours per week. It’s more about feeling energised and fulfilled. The energy comes from exercise and autonomy. If the body is strong, so is the mind. If you have agency, you feel empowered and in control of your life. The energy is recharged with sleep and rest. If you sleep well, everything feels easier. If you have time to relax, your body and mind regroup.
Another important aspect of work-life balance is that it looks different for everyone and is constantly changing as life circumstances change.
How To Apply This As A Leader
As leaders and business owners we can take practical steps to build committed teams, overcome team burnout, and lift people out of any languishing rut. The following actions have provided effective.
- Agency & Autonomy – Trust your team to perform. Set the team objectives and goals while giving them the agency to approach their workload and tasks in a way that best uses their strengths. Have high expectations of them, and they will deliver.
- Encourage Leave – Instead of groaning or complaining when staff put in leave applications, celebrate it. Ask about their holidays, and past times. Show them that you also have a life beyond work.
- Encourage Exercise Through the Workday – Construction hours are long, followed by a long commute. This makes exercise impractical for many people including those with young families. Encourage the team to go to the gym through the day. You will find they come back re-energised and are more focussed in the afternoon. In my case, I didn’t even exercise through the day, but the sincere offer to do so was enough to make me feel valued.
- Do Not Contact After Hours – Unless there is an absolute emergency avoid contacting staff once they have left the office. Make clear that there is no expectation to check or read emails at night or on weekends.
- Support When Performance Drops – When team members show signs of stress, acknowledge it. Offer support and discuss practical changes to working arrangements that can help them through a tough period. Be Human.
Hitting burnout is a terrible feeling. You feel desperate, washed up, like you career is over. But its only temporary. I hope my story and the lessons I have learned can help you and your teams overcome (or avoid) burnout and come back stronger.
