Burnout in Business

By Lawrence Losoncy

Stress in the business world is like dandelions in the front lawn:
it's everywhere. Burnout is a buzzword for too much stress over too
long a period of time that finally renders people ineffective,
disgusted, exhausted or disillusioned with their work.

There are distinctive kinds of burnout. Recognizing these patterns
early on provides one of the avenues for countering the stress and
heading off the train wreck. Make no mistake, when anyone burns out on
his or her job it is a train wreck! Two of the most prevalent forms of
burnout in business are what is known as "Leaving Forever" and
"Trapped in a Golden Cage".

Leave Forever

This type of burnout comes from too much enthusiasm and idealism. It
is common but not exclusive in the "people and helping" businesses
such as healthcare, education, recreation, credit management, home
repair, dining, travel, beauty, real estate, golf course management,
flower shops, photography, animal care, and childcare, to name but a
few. The person comes to the business with high aspirations, gives the
job more than 100%, works much too hard and way too long. Next he or
she decides that the situation is hopeless, people are irresponsible
and unappreciative, the industry is loaded with too many greedy and
unscrupulous competitors and so the whole operation is a waste of
time. Great ideals turn to ashes and the person leaves forever, bitter
and cynical, having flown too high and crashed.

Such tragedy can be averted by pacing: the one-thing idealists won't
do unless coached and ordered to slow down. "Slow down" means going
home at quitting time, using weekends for fun and relaxation, smelling
the roses and getting some sleep. Small business owners are a high
risk for this type of burnout because it is so easy to give the
business extra time, energy and resources. Many founders of businesses
are visionaries: they see a success and they believe that their
business is worth doing. They often commit to pay any price to make it
work. That's the trap: "any price" is too much.

Some signs to watch for include increasing irritation at customer
shortcomings. Why can't they make up their minds? Why are they so
demanding? Why can't they be on time? Why do they always wait until
the last minute? Why are they so ungrateful? Why are they rude? Why do
they take me for granted?

Antidote: go out of your way every day to thank your customers, to
praise them, to encourage them to take their time. Be polite and treat
them the way you wish they would treat you. In other words, practice
appreciation instead of judgement.

Another danger sign: you can't put the business out of your mind when
you aren't there. If you can't stop thinking about the business it is
taking over your life and the next step is that it will devour you.

Antidote: when the workday is over make sure it is over. Close the
place up, put the phone on automatic, close all your drawers and files
and GO HOME. On the way home do something instead of thinking about
work. When you get home, BE HOME. Engage yourself with your loved
ones. Putter around in the garden. Get some exercise. Do some jogging.
Take an enjoyable shower or bath. Get a good night's sleep. When these
simple things do not work, get some help! Turn to an experienced
friend, a veteran of the industry in which you work, or a business
coach.

Trapped in a Golden Cage

This form of burnout stalks the person who is successful. Success
breeds success, but it also breeds burnout for the unsuspecting. This
is the overly successful business executive whose hard work and good
fortune have allowed him or her to expand the business and take on new
clients or larger projects along with a greater credit line and deeper
debt. "I can't stop now" is the motto. "So many people depend on me"
is the refrain. "Just a few more years and we'll be over the top" is
the signal that a train crash is going to happen. This person is all
work and no play. Time, for this person, has literally become money.

The gamble is that good health practices such as exercise, sleep and
proper nutrition can be sacrificed for a few more years until the
business is over the top and there is time to live properly. Lots of
marriages get sacrificed this way and lots of heart attacks happen to
those who live high on adrenaline, driving themselves to ever-greater
heights of business success in order to achieve financial goals.

One of the biggest warning signs is the taking on of greater financial
risks and debts in order to expand. Another warning sign is
overextending one's efforts in order to avoid hiring others to grow
with the business. "Paying with a pound of flesh" is very bad
business. It is even worse from the standpoint of stress management.
The odds are stacked against anyone who does this. If this description
fits you, consider the antidote.

Antidote: create balance by finding other interests besides the
business, preferably activities you can share with those people in
your life who love you, such as wife and children, friends and
relatives. This will make it easier to put some limits on your work
hours. It will help you develop perspective about where you are taking
the business and how best to get there. Remember: there are always
options. When you can't find options it is definitely time to pull
back and rethink!

Burnout in business can happen because things aren't going well enough
and that gets people trying too hard or worrying too much. But it can
also happen because things are going so well that people begin to
believe they can't afford to stop. Physicians will often note that too
much of a good thing brings them patients just as surely as too little
of a good thing.

Burnout in business comes from feast and from famine. Make sure to
stay somewhere in between those two extremes if you plan to avoid
burning out from the stress that goes with the territory.

Losoncy is a licensed therapist, an executive coach and president of
three corporations. To learn about his services please go to
http://www.mvpseminars.com

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