Do you feel like you are under heat and pressure that is not letting up? I continue to hear from leaders about the pressures of trying to navigate in the unknowns and multiple issues facing our world. This includes determining strategy for process, production, and services, and how to navigate as a team. The pressure is also increasing in how to lead in the tension and discord among people, which then can come back as attacks on you as a leader and person. You can begin to feel beaten down and wondering where to find hope.
A woman recently finding a 4.38 carat diamond at a state park in Arkansas made me think about heat and pressure. We love the thrill and beauty of seeing a diamond and then especially finding one. But did you know that a diamond is only formed under intense heat and pressure? It takes a lot for a diamond to form and survive the journey to the surface of the earth. So, how can we survive through heat and pressure as an organization and as an individual?
Coping as an Organization
We often see burnout as an individual issue but solving it is also a workplace culture issue too. Jill Suttie wrote a recent article about the Six Causes of Burnout at Work, which is based on the book, The Burnout Epidemic, by Jennifer Moss. The six causes are workload, perceived lack of control, lack of reward or recognition, poor relationships, lack of fairness and mismatched values. Often, we can come up with technical ways to address these issues, but they tend to be band-aids.
The most important first step you can take in addressing these issues is to first ask your staff about these issues and to listen. Often, when we hear a list like above, we start listing all the ways our organization is already addressing these issues or jumping into our plans on how to fix, but then we tend to not get to the root issue of the burnout.
I was talking with a leader who is experiencing burnout. This person spoke to his supervisor about his feelings of drain and the need to be included in more communication about upcoming strategy so he could prepare, which decreases his workload and increases his feelings of control. The supervisor stated hearing the person; however, did not follow-through on closing the communication loop. The supervisor got caught up so much in strategy that he didn’t change his behavior to help lessen the stress on his staff member, which acerbates hopelessness.
Are you listening to staff and addressing their specific needs?
Coping as an Individual
When put under stress and pressure, we must find healthy ways to cope. This is finding a place where you can feel at peace and clarity even during the pressure. As you get these outlets, you can go on. This can be physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. Such as exercise, enjoying a meal with friends, prayer, meditation, being in nature, taking a sabbatical. Talking to others for ideas on how they are handling the pressure or reading articles for new ideas can help too. But what if your typical ways of coping are not working?
A leader was sharing her fear that she was hitting burnout. She explained the multiple pressures on her leadership at work and even the overflow of pressures at home. She listed multiple activities and interactions that were draining her. She talked about how she took a vacation, but it didn’t seem to help. Instead, she felt like she was just trying to escape, and it only added to her workload. She wondered if she just needed to quit her job.
When you hit this kind of pressure, a typical question that pops into our minds is: Should I quit this job? However, we then need to ask a deeper question: Am I running or am I truly released from this position?
When we are running
The leader mentioned above realized that the pressures were being like triggers to a deeper fear. And, as she reflected, these triggers had been going on even before the pandemic. The intensity of the pressure was showing a deeper need to address an issue that was actually for her best. Her old ways of coping were not working. It was like being a diamond in the rough.
As a leader and a person, it is not uncommon to have triggers that reveal fears of rejection, being seen incompetent, letting others down … the list can go on. We then may try to cope in a variety of ways to prove our value such as working harder and longer, taking on more responsibilities to save others or conversely blaming and putting others down. Sometimes it may not be related to a fear but to comfort. Maybe we have gotten used to leading, doing, and acting in a certain way and the pressures are revealing a need to form a new habit of leadership.
But there is hope. This is an opportunity to uncover a deeper pattern that has been holding your leadership back and even your enjoyment of life. I recommend reflecting, and talking with a trusted advisor, coach or friend.
When we are released
Sometimes pressures are just showing us a season in life where our tried-and-true coping is still working, or we need to remain but with a change. However, sometimes pressures show an ending that is bringing us to a new beginning. This is when we are released. When being released, there is a sense of purpose with it. There is a deeper knowing and clarity that this is a next step connected to your purpose. In contrast, when you are running from a position, it is an escape. There is a sense that you might just end up in the same place and pattern again.
Located in the Smithsonian is the largest known deep blue diamond in the world. This famous diamond is called the Hope Diamond. Millions of visitors come each year to see its magnificence. To me, the name, “Hope” Diamond, is significant. Please remember that you always have hope even amid heat and pressure. For those who seek to learn and understand through the pressure, a deeper value and potential of who you are is ready to be revealed. What next step do you need to take to help you and your team to cope and have hope, even in heat and pressure?