Burnout at work has become a major problem in recent years, according to a recent Deloitte study, with 77% of respondents saying they are in a state of occupational exhaustion. This problem especially affects top-level employees. Director of the Moscow macroregion of Russian Post JSC, business coach Dmitry Adushev talks about how to recognize the first signs of a dangerous emotional state and how to learn how to restore energy.
Let's face it, it's not easy for a top manager. The public portrait of the top does not always correspond to the true content - a lot of loneliness and anxiety can be hidden behind ostentatious energy, business acumen and excellent public speaking skills. It is believed that CEOs have a high level of endurance and conscious self-motivation and, therefore, are much more resilient to external influences and business requirements. This is partly true, but it nevertheless comes at a price.
The CEO is always in a difficult situation of constant demands:
There are not always enough resources for this. Moreover, subordinates also expect support and motivation.
A vicious circle of mutual requirements is formed, which leads to a deformation of views on life.
Firstly, the tops usually have little trust in people - because of this, contacts are either professional or purely personal. Usually this is a team formed during a career or people who are allowed to the CEO's “ear”, who can convey information or lobby for a decision in his usual terms.
Secondly, you have to invest a lot of “your personal” energy, covering up the lack of resources or powers in a too large area of responsibility. It is necessary to work a lot and in a focused manner with people, to be guided in numbers and constantly “challenge”, raising the emotional level of service meetings and negotiations.
Thirdly, there is a critical attitude to any information, a desire to check and double-check it. This is a constant measurement of possible gaps in the reports of subordinates, the search for gaps, in general, life with a measuring instrument in hand. This brings a lot of anxiety and insecurity into life. And, although you are an experienced troubleshooter and can cope with any challenges, nevertheless, even the moment when "everything is fine" annoys you, because you know for sure that something will happen, so you cannot calm down.
This state can be called in one word - MUST!
A strong and energetic word that moved up the career ladder, mobilized, gave energy, became second nature. Or a thing in itself, which no longer gives joy and a sense of satisfaction from victories, but requires constant tribute in the form of a person's vital energy, without discounts on the state, desire and health of the leader. NECESSARY - becomes the motto, the second I am CEO.
This is especially felt now, at the end of the year, when everyone has a super race, tough deadlines and super tasks. But what now - not to work?
Of course, work and strive for new heights, but it is important to understand how and by what means. I know people who work 24 hours a day, I know colleagues and clients who, in principle, do not take a vacation (I will rest on a business trip (!)). But this is a direct road to a meeting with psychosomatics, and in our constant running, troubleshooting and eternal “challenge” we manage to overstep the line beyond which we can no longer recover.
Many people underestimate fatigue, they say, what's the problem - I'll sleep off, finally go on vacation, he's just a month later, and now work is not waiting.
But only burnout will not wait for a vacation: at first you feel that it is difficult to fall asleep and your head is full of tasks and monologues with the team and shareholders, then you force yourself after a cappuccino and "still with you" rush to the office and open the zoom, then you just hate the Mondays after weekends spent in a layer, or in front of a TV series under a blanket, the head stiffens and the white light itself does not make you happy. And this is already serious, this is the first step into a black hole called depression.
According to research by European psychologists, more than half of the population of economically developed countries is now affected by this disease. It deprives you of strength and joy, happiness from life and communication with the world. There are systems of management, delegation of authority and distribution of roles in the team, but the growing problems with burnout shows that the main reason is not that the CEO is unable to delegate. It's just that the leader begins to pay attention to himself too late.
As a top manager with 16 years of experience in managing large trade and logistics companies, I perfectly understand the psychology of a person invested with great power and great responsibility. I know what it is to work with owners and offices distributed over a large area, I understand the severity of the time of the crisis and the complexity of forming teams of high achievements. For a very long time in my life I didn’t take a vacation, until I was 34 I didn’t understand why I needed it. By this time, I managed to create a large regional network, changed a couple of regions of the location, and earned the first serious money. I gave myself up to work and burned out. Then I did not know this word yet, and it seemed to me that the emotions and sensations of my body are a trifle that can be neglected. You need to be on business trips for half a month - please, work on an empty stomach all day - okay, don't sleep - no question, I'm strong - I can handle it!
But the body, as it turned out, did not agree with this, and psychosomatics still caught up with me. For some time I could not move normally, all joints ached and my heart was very naughty. Through physical pain, I began to listen to myself and develop my own recovery practices.
The books that I had read before, but did not understand, suddenly became clear to me. About balance in life, the importance of understanding your emotions and taking care of yourself. Yes, I lead an active life of a top manager with all the stresses inherent in this life and I do not want to stop, I like the rhythm and pace of my life. But it is important for me to maintain not only my activity, but also my health: physical and psychological.
I have developed a fairly simple system for myself and am ready to share it with you:
1. Study your psychotype, form and realize your own triggers, due to which the loss of energy and burnout begins.
2. Take notice of your condition. Slow down. If you notice that you are tired, negative emotions take over - try to get some air, do your favorite hobby, read your favorite book. You have the right to get tired, you have the right to lowered energy - try to recover right at the moment when you notice and feel the loss of energy.
3. Use mindfulness practices. Understanding yourself "here and now", feeling clear in your thoughts and emotions - greatly help to recover. Often, after these words, people imagine yoga, meditation and visiting ashrams in the mountains of India. But psychological thought has stepped forward - the number one trend in the topic of awareness and restoration of the Mindfulness technique, which allows you to carry out independent exercises through breathing, walks. The beauty of Mindfulness practices is that they can be done right in the workplace and without any asanas. And then the abstract NECESSARY will not hang over your head - but meanings and new paths will appear.
4. Develop your own pace of life. Our nervous system has two parts: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The first is responsible for relaxation and restoration of strength, the second - for tension and work under severe stress. They do not work with the same efficiency, as a rule, we need exactly twice as long to recover. That is, if you have worked hard for an hour just to return to the previous level of energy, you will need to rest for at least two. No one has such time, so it is important to be able to switch and break down work into short sprints of 20-30 minutes, 5 minutes into something easy.
5. Find a source of support. An experienced coach will help you understand yourself and support you in creating your balanced world, where there is a place for both intense concentrated work and recuperation.
Remember that in conditions of uncertainty, turbulence, changes, the state of the leader is the determining factor for the success of the entire company.
Be healthy and save yourself for new achievements!
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