8 Considerations for Leaders when navigating Burnout in their team.

Jun 11

You notice your team member isn’t their usual bubbly self.

They seem flat. The glimmer in their eye that usually comes with opportunity has disappeared, replaced by an expressionless exhaustion you haven’t seen before. It’s as though the colour has drained out of their life overnight.

“How long have they been like this?” you wonder. Suddenly realising you have been operating on autopilot yourself & haven’t paid that much attention to this person who usually, is happy running their own show. Now you think of it, they haven’t been as present in meetings. They haven’t handed in their reports. You thought they were “busy” & let it slide.

After all, they are a high performer & always deliver.

You feel panic rising within you. I’ve missed something here? This isn’t typical. What if they resign? How will I explain this to my Leaders? Your mind steamrolls with potential scenarios on what this means for you.

As a leader of people, there are days we change costumes by the hour. A performance coach, negotiator, cheerleader, conflict resolver, shed sweeper, paper pusher, hustler, customer complaint manager, parent, courier. I bet you could add plenty more.

What we aren’t, are mind readers, clairvoyants or professional psychologists.

Many of you reached out after my previous article “5 discrete warning signs of burnout leaders should know” – thank you.

But what comes next?

When you suspect one of your team members is on a collision course with burnout, how do you intervene?

One of the most challenging aspects facing leaders in these scenarios is feeling ill prepared & knowing what to do. To add to the complexity, the person in distress might not be aware of what they are going through.

I certainly wasn’t.

While awareness of mental well-being in the workplace is on the rise, it is still a tricky path for any people leader to negotiate.

I reflect back on my own situation & offer the following perspective for leaders of teams in to consider when formulating Burnout Management plans for their organisations.

Understand what resources are available to both you & your team member at risk

Understanding what immediate support is available through your organisation is a worthwhile investment of time. At a time when vulnerability & emotion is high, an educated mind offers a considered discussion that facilitates connection. Trusted connection, offering a safe space for a sensitive conversation.

It also prevents offering something you can’t deliver.

Questions to ask your organisation:

What is the process to follow for employee mental health concerns?
What resources are available & how do I/ my team member access these?
Who are the mental-health first aiders within our business? (if applicable)
Have any leaders managed team member’s with burnout & what were the lessons learnt?
How do I explain the path forward for my team member? (words to use/ stay away from)

With the growing realisation of the impact of mental wellbeing on; employee experience, customer experience & commercial growth, it is worthy for organisations to consider resources beyond traditional employee assistance programs & embedding initiatives that; minimise bias, educate leaders on navigating the process & create more sustainable workplace conditions conducive to optimal mental health.

A diverse range of educational & supportive resources for leaders an aspirational organisation goal.

Manage your senior leader’s expectations

The pressure of a team member with suspected burnout is significant. Suddenly, you have a business & an employee at risk. It is an enormous burden to bear & difficult to navigate on your own.

Any suspicion, needs to be taken seriously. Remember, the symptoms you see is only the surface of the stress the individual is experiencing. In all likelihood, they are doing their darndest to mask the severity of their situation. It can steamroll very quickly.

Senior leaders need visibility of burnout risk across teams to; offer support, understand business impact & to identify systemic issues potentially contributing to the situation. Future risk to the broader business in mind.

You are always better off flagging in the present, rather than facing a future conversation that starts with, “Why didn’t you reach out?” or “Why am I only hearing this now?”

Having the awareness to own the situation & share the conversation will support your own mind through the journey & set everyone up for a more successful outcome.

Acknowledge if you aren’t comfortable having the conversation with your team member at risk

Few of us are qualified psychologists. Many aren’t professional coaches. Emotional conversations can leave the best of us grappling with knowing how to offer support. Particularly if it is with a team member we struggle connecting with, or don’t know well.

Admitting our discomfort & seeking support is a much better option for both the business & people involved, than struggling through & inflaming an already tenuous situation.

We are all better leaders for admitting what we don’t know & when we need help.

Separate the business from the human

Someone who has reached burnout has compounded chronic professional stress that has been poorly managed. It’s an occupational phenomenon as defined by WHO.

I wrote My Beautiful Mess as a reminder that work is only one part of someone’s life. Outside of work, we are parents, children, carers, friends & partners. Each with their own complex myriad of responsibilities. As leaders, we must consider our team’s whole world to understand their values & circumstances that affect their daily decision making.

We are better leader’s for it.

Persisting with & making face at work when our personal life is reeling in stress, expends tremendous energy. Personal values become compromised & suddenly we are working outside our own integrity. It is a slippery slope towards burnout. (2)

As a leader, you have a business requiring minimal disruption & a person in distress. Their greatest stabiliser & energiser, time to reconnect with themselves.

A person in distress will rarely recover from burnout with the pressure of the business on their shoulders. Managing the business independently, gives that person the best chance of full recovery & reintegration into the business in a mutually beneficial way.

Prioritise understanding & prepare with questions

We can’t align our response to a person’s needs without properly understanding what those needs are.

While it can be tempting to offer a knee jerk reaction to remove superficial pain, be mindful doing so on assumption alone. Assumptions blind us to reality, leading to solutions or responses that don’t address the systemic issue.

As a part of our conversation prep, consciously asking, “Is what I am saying/ offering based on fact or assumption?” helps identify blind spots & design calibrated questions that minimise defensiveness. (See previous blog )

Our focus as leaders must be on mindful listening & learning, rather than telling & instructing.

Prioritising understanding of the status quo, enables us to respond with consideration to the needs of the business & needs of the person – equally important.

Questions to consider;

How would you describe how you are feeling?
What do you need me to understand about you?
What is most important to you today?
What is contributing most to the way you are feeling?
How can we better support you as a person?
How can we better support your business?
What does your support look like outside of work?
What would an ideal situation look like for you?

Offer permission to stop.

A person at risk of burnout might not be aware of the severity of their situation. Nor can they gain clarity in a pressure cooker full of responsibilities. They will be expending enormous energy to look like they are coping when in reality, they aren’t.

Be mindful of their internal conflict. While they will hold onto their business tightly out of fear, not wanting to let go of something they have worked so hard to build, secretly they’re desperate for someone to take the responsibility away.

As a leader, consider “what if this person is looking for permission to stop?”

It is a phrase that acknowledges a situation isn’t working. Acknowledgement offers relief, breathing space & time. By slowing the process, clarity can be gained by all to formulate an action plan that is sustainable & better aligns with individual values.

Don’t try to control the outcome.

Burnout is rarely a superficial issue. It is compounded stress to the point of conflicting with someone’s core values.

Simply, something in that person’s world is not working & needs to be fixed before they can continue.

The tricky part is diagnosis of that “something”.

The only person who can reconnect with those values, is that person. It becomes a journey they need to embark upon to understand how to reconfigure a world that works for them.

One where they are in the driving seat & no, the car is not operated by remote control with the controller in your hands.

Flexible thinking, compassion & understanding are required for acceptance of the chosen path forward – with or without their past.

Sometimes, the most valuable gift we can give is letting go.

Ask, “How do we support this person to be the best person they can be?” rather than “How do we prevent this person from leaving?”

No leader likes to see a valued employee & top performer decide to move on under their watch. Pending the strength of the relationship, it can hurt. We feel responsible. We have to accept the decision made. Even if that means a world without them.

As leaders, we are privileged to have a person under our care. It is our responsibility to help them be the best person they can be during that time. Both professionally & personally.

Burnout results in a disconnect from self. Until that is resolved, well-being & happiness will continue to be compromised.

Attempting to hold on to someone at all costs can be detrimental to mental health. It brings resistance to the journey they have decided is best for them.

Alumni are a powerful extension of any organisation. None of us can predict when paths might cross again, or the future influence people may have. While an outcome might not be our desired, respect of the decision & celebration of an employee’s previous contribution preserves connections & manages well-being for all.

I remember navigating burnout in the workplace as confusing, painful & difficult. Suddenly, my career felt like it was on the line & the reputation I’d worked so hard to build was disappearing before my eyes. All the while, I was physically & mentally destroyed. I couldn’t articulate what I wanted because I didn’t understand what was happening to me. All I had was my gut instinct shuffling me along. All anyone could do was their best.

That is the type of mess our leaders are faced with. It’s hard.

As the frontline of our team’s professional world & the strongest influencer of their experience at work, leaders must be educated to recognise burnout signs & feel confident in escalating concerns.

How are you educating yours?

Peta x

How are you starting the Burnout conversation in your organisation? I’m offering my experience in My Beautiful Mess as a discussion starter for organisations when approaching burnout management. Reach out below to explore a Q&A session for yours.

Peta is a Coach & Consultant.

Author of My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me (Read excerpt here)

Australian Group Coach for Organisational Psychologist Fiona Murden’s, Defining You online program

References & recommended reading: