How Individuals & Org's Prevent Burnout

Why are so many people currently burning out and what can you do avoid it? In our research, we've been interviewing and reading about high performers who have burned out vs those who have avoided it. One pattern that keeps coming up is the importance of both individual resilience and organizational support. One without the other is not enough.

“I think the most important thing is balance.” says Aaron Rogers, Quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and four-time NFL MVP.

“Being excellent at what you do has to be paired with a balance of other interests off the field. You need separation from your sport because to be that locked in for 6 months, you’ve got to be able to unwind. My daily schedule in season is timed to the minute, so when I am off, I need to switch completely off.”

Rogers prioritises activities that are nothing like football and get him away from his football identity. And he recognises that to do this you need support from your organization.

“The org has done a good job in recent years of trusting that if I need to be away from the team for 1 or 2 days, I have the latitude to make sure I am mentally clear. So that when I am back, I am f#%ing back, I am locked in.”

This balance of individual actions, plus organizational support was a common theme we heard in our interviews. An executive from an Investment Bank told us that after burning out, she had to find a way to work that balanced looking after herself as well as others (her family, her team, her clients).

And her organization created a culture where this was supported.

“Our CEO set the tone. She told employees, “There is no one way to get things done. You can’t work the way I work and others can’t work the way you work. So, find out what works best for you and we’ll support you.”

 Based on our interviews there are two parts to this equation:

 I.R. + O.S = S.P

Individual Resilience (IR)– the employee needs to take responsibility for looking after both their performance and recovery

Organizational support (OS)– the company needs to support the employees and give them the flex to find the best way to do this.

Sustainable Performance (SP)- people can deliver at a high level without sacrificing their health, families or souls

For years, we were indoctrinated into thinking that continuous hard work is the formula for high performance. It’s not. It is a formula for burnout. Rather than org’s trying to wring every last ounce of productivity out of their people without any space for recovery, we need to evolve our thinking about what high performance looks like. If a successful Investment Bank and a high performing NFL Football team have done it, surely other organizations can get the hint. No one wants to work for the old school organisations anymore.

"Even if I wanted to leave, it would be hard to find a place that matched our conditions and leaders. So it would be very hard for me to leave."

Talent will increasingly leave organisations who aim for performance while sacrificing their people. They are moving to organisations who create wise, high performance environments.