Why most managers don't see burnout coming

Recently I spoke to a busy HR manager who had had to deal with a sudden run of unexpected burnout cases. “What really worries me is that their team leaders were just as surprised as I was,” she confessed anxiously. "If the team leaders don't see burnout coming in their teams, how connected are they with what is going on? And how effective are they in supporting their team members to do their jobs?"

"What are we missing?" she began to ask herself.

Burnout is less about workload and more about attitudes

Burnout is a widespread issue in today’s workplace, yet team leaders often fail to recognize it until it’s too late. One reason is the gradual and hidden nature of burnout: it doesn’t happen overnight, but builds slowly as employees face increasing workloads, lack of support, or prolonged stress. But the main reason leaders are surprised by sudden cases of mental strain is this: Everyone has attitudes they are not aware of. Many of them are destructive.

How come people like Paula thrive in high pressure environments, while others in the same situation burn out?

Paula was a manager in a logistics company, and while phones buzzed and tempers flared, she would sip her coffee, unbothered. “Pressure’s just fuel” she would say, calmly solving each problem as she would a puzzle. She had no problem turning down or cancelling tasks she didn’t have time for and that could be postponed, and made a habit of never worrying about problems that had been solved. Her challenge in life was in the area of romance, (her fear of being vulnerable and real meant that she found it difficult to maintain intimate relationships.) But stress at work was not a problem she suffered from.

How come people like Paula thrive in high pressure environments, while others in the same situation burn out? Workload is not the only issue, it would seem. If different people react totally differently to the same workload it shows that it's a question of mindset. But what is mindset all about? It comes down to the this: the hundreds of split-second thoughts going on our minds all the time. In other words, it's about how the individual communicates with him or herself.

On the outside John was the ideal project manager, but on the inside he was a burnout waiting to happen.?

Project manager John was the backbone of every team. He was the person everyone relied on, and his meticulous plans left no room for error. You knew that if John was on the project things would run smoothly. However, behind his professional air there was an internal dialogue going on in his mind all the time: "Did I miss something? Could this go wrong? How much will it cost us if this fails?" At the end of the day he would replay and review every decision in his mind. While his projects nearly always worked out, he always found something he could have done better. On the outside John was the ideal project manager, but on the inside he was a burnout waiting to happen.?

Most teamleaders lead mechanically, which is not sustainable

Here's the thing: most team leaders manage mechanically, putting all of their focus on the output and getting the job done. The danger is that they miss important warning signs, particularly in high-performing team members. Mechanical leaders may talk about the importance of being human and real, but they miss the instruments and knowledge to practically lead through humanness and so end up focusing on processes, targets and KPIs. At the end of the day that's unsustainable.

If you don’t learn to read the attitudes in your team, you will miss critical information

Don't get me wrong, targets are important and you need to assess the results and progress in order to correct where necessary. But don't forget that each of the human beings in your team has a mind. If you don’t learn to read the behaviours and attitudes behind your team members results, you will miss critical information. You certainly won't be in a position to empower them to grow.

Many attitudes are rooted in a sense of how things should be, and contain an element of "proving." Someone who is extremely conscientious, for example, will go to great lengths to show they are reliable, even at the cost of their own mental health. Someone who is aware of the need to be smart will go to great lengths to prove they are knowledgeable. On the outside you will see someone who is taking initiative or showing up actively during meetings, but on the inside there is someone whose need to prove is quietly undermining their self trust.

It can be very convenient to have a perfectionist in the team, or someone who is very conscientious

In terms of getting the job done, it can be very convenient to have a perfectionist in the team, or someone who is very conscientious. A lot will get done, and to a high standard. But meanwhile, under the surface, those team members are putting themselves under chronic pressure. Their fear of making mistakes will have them over-thinking and fretting about their projects, judging their every conversation and action, and punishing themselves quietly for every mistake they make. You never know what will be the last straw.

If you want to lower the risk of burnout in your team, you want to learn the art of empowerment, and practically leading project teams in a human rather than a mechanical way. An important part of this is learning to read the attitudes in your team. But how do you do that? Before you plan to have meetings with each of your team members and ask them how they are doing, it is worth noting that none of us are able to see our own attitudes. Your team members will be just as unaware of their own attitudes as you are.

Learning to hear what your team members don't say

The art of empowerment includes learning to hear what your team members don't say, and knowing when and how to intervene and interact. This is a coach-style approach to leading a team, and will support your team members to develop themselves and the way they react to the challenges they face. That way you will build each person’s resilience and self confidence, and their ability to handle challenging situations.

Learn To Hear What Isn't Said

Are you interested in learning how to read and work with attitudes? Would you like to become the kind of people manager people give their best for? Do you want to learn to run interactions that support your team members to grow and perform better while reducing the risk of burnout? Click on this link to sign up for an introduction to coaching skills for managers given by Suzanne from Humanication's Coaching Academy. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GF0_mCUTTwmdkUci2VHVIQ

Attitudes: What you need to know about the human mind

Do you want to learn more about attitudes, how they can create stress and burnout and what you need to know as manager in order to lead teams well? I started a webinar series “The Hidden Challenges Of Leading Teams” in which we will be diving into 3 hot management topics and their hidden causes: Burnout and Stress ( 28 March, in Dutch) Organisational culture and how to build it (29 May); Ownership and responsibility (18 Sept). Do you want us to keep you posted about the next one? Click on this link to put yourself on the list. https://hiddenchallenges.scoreapp.com