Fatigue: 3 Dangers – 3 Unexpected Gifts
Constant pressure leads to fatigue. Burnout leads to defeat.
71% of professionals have experienced burnout. Over half have experienced it more than once. The numbers are higher in the public sector. (Deloitte)
Fatigue traps leaders.
Aspirational leaders overestimate their capacity. You face challenge that buckles your knees. Sincerity causes overcommitment. People-pleasers let people walk on their boundaries.
3 dangers of fatigue:
#1. A surly spirit.
The people you serve become irritations. Relationships lose value when you hate the world.
#2. Stupid decisions.
Small problems seem huge. Big problems overwhelm. You can’t pay attention.
#3. The thrill is gone.
The walking dead don’t care.
3 unexpected gifts of fatigue:
#1. Humility.
Learn to depend on others. Seek help before you need it. Stop working to the point of fatigue every day. Quit work when you still have energy to enjoy life.
Learn to delegate when you find yourself at the end of your rope again.
You don’t want help when you’re young and foolish. The wise fill their limitations with others.
#2. Authenticity.
What has weariness taught you about yourself? You might like to ignore your tired self. Reflect on that person anyway.
- Has aspiration turned to arrogance?
- Are you blind to the needs of others?
- Has people-pleasing blinded you to yourself?
#3. Energy.
Do things that drain you early in the day. Brian Tracy says, “Eat that Frog.”
Notice things that energize you. Focus your attention on energy-giving activities. Encourage your team to manage their energy. Talk about it during one-on-ones.
View rest as a performance-enabling activity.
Conclusion: Fatigue expands life when you learn from it.
What has fatigue taught you?
What helps you when you feel burnt out?
Dig deeper:
Mastering Emotional Agility: Transform Destructive Emotions into Leadership Advantage
This post resonates really strongly this morning. I’ve been there on and off for a good while now. I have tried seaking help but hitting the company culture wall of “overehelmed is normal and almost a badge of honor”. I’m now seeking help outside of my organization. Showing up and doing my best to be a positive leader is my current journey and mantra, walking the thin line of fatigue, right on the edge of burnout… This blog had been a source of inspiration and reflection, thank you Dan for the light you provide in daily doses.
Your insight about company culture is profound. Sadly being stressed out makes some leaders feel important. It’s a stupid short-sighted way to view work.
It’s great to challenge ourselves, but it’s hard to predict when we might cross the line into too much.
Your wisdom of stepping outside your organization is a great example.
I wish you success on the journey.
Just had a conversation about those who have been in their real estate management career path for so long that they are grumpy and surly with people. You hit the nail on the head with the three dangers of fatigue — it explains a lot of those cases, and helps me empathize with those who have been in systems or had upper management that allowed them (forced them?) to become fatigued well past the point of wisdom, to where they live in each of those sad points on a regular basis.
Thanks, J. You’re taking a powerful lesson from your observations. Congratulations for turning toward empathy. It reflects an outward focus. You’re an encouraging example.
When the results of success cause us to hate ourselves and to hate work it makes me ask, what’s the point!
The other issue is the leadership pipeline. People don’t want to step into leadership when their leaders are miserable.
Steady on.
Great post Dan, and sound guidance as always, but it is important not to conflate fatigue with burnout. The Deloitte statistic of 71% of professionals having experienced burnout is simply ludicrous – if this were the case professional firms would grind to a halt (and have to totally change the way they operate). Burnout is a really serious condition, which takes people out of the workforce for a protracted period, sometimes indefinitely; but unfortunately people use the term to mean anything from “I’ve had an exhausting week” to “I’m feeling stressed out” or “I’m constantly tired.” The dangers of fatigue are very real, but calling it burnout does a disservice to those who have become seriously ill. Having worked in a pressurised professional services environment over four decades I would say less than 5% of professionals experienced actual burnout.
Your point is well taken, EC. Thank you for making it.
I don’t feel burned out right now but I would count myself at part of the 71% who believe they have experienced burnout in the past.
Fatigue doesn’t seem to cover my experience. It seems more one dimensional–I’m tired, I’ve given too much. Burnout sounds more multi-dimensional, more pervasive.
I vividly remember the blurred feeling of never having a break. Of the loneliness that goes along with being a cog. The dump of adrenaline that made my stomach clench just thinking about work. The anger of being asked to do something more, even by the people I loved. The hopeless sense that I couldn’t meet all the expectations.
Perhaps we are discussing pre-burnout similar to being pre-diabetic?
It grieves me to think that our public servants feel like that.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Your transparency is instructive. Whatever we call it, it’s undesirable. I feel warned and encouraged by your willingness to share you experiences.