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Stress in the business world is like dandelions in the front lawn: it's everywhere. Burnout is a buzzword for too much stress over too long a period of time that finally renders people ineffective, disgusted, exhausted or disillusioned with their work.
There are distinctive kinds of burnout. Recognizing these patterns early on provides one of the avenues for countering the stress and heading off the train wreck. Make no mistake, when anyone burns out on his or her job it is a train wreck! Two of the most prevalent forms of burnout in business are what is known as "Leaving Forever" and "Trapped in a Golden Cage".
Leave Forever
This type of burnout comes from too much enthusiasm and idealism. It is common but not exclusive in the "people and helping" businesses such as healthcare, education, recreation, credit management, home repair, dining, travel, beauty, real estate, golf course management, flower shops, photography, animal care, and childcare, to name but a few. The person comes to the business with high aspirations, gives the job more than 100%, works much too hard and way too long. Next he or she decides that the situation is hopeless, people are irresponsible and unappreciative, the industry is loaded with too many greedy and unscrupulous competitors and so the whole operation is a waste of time. Great ideals turn to ashes and the person leaves forever, bitter and cynical, having flown too high and crashed.
Such tragedy can be averted by pacing: the one-thing idealists won't do unless coached and ordered to slow down. "Slow down" means going home at quitting time, using weekends for fun and relaxation, smelling the roses and getting some sleep. Small business owners are a high risk for this type of burnout because it is so easy to give the business extra time, energy and resources. Many founders of businesses are visionaries: they see a success and they believe that their business is worth doing. They often commit to pay any price to make it work. That's the trap: "any price" is too much.
Some signs to watch for include increasing irritation at customer shortcomings. Why can't they make up their minds? Why are they so demanding? Why can't they be on time? Why do they always wait until the last minute? Why are they so ungrateful? Why are they rude? Why do they take me for granted?
Antidote: go out of your way every day to thank your customers, to praise them, to encourage them to take their time. Be polite and treat them the way you wish they would treat you. In other words, practice appreciation instead of judgement.
Another danger sign: you can't put the business out of your mind when you aren't there. If you can't stop thinking about the business it is taking over your life and the next step is that it will devour you.
Antidote: when the workday is over make sure it is over. Close the place up, put the phone on automatic, close all your drawers and files and GO HOME. On the way home do something instead of thinking about work. When you get home, BE HOME. Engage yourself with your loved ones. Putter around in the garden. Get some exercise. Do some jogging. Take an enjoyable shower or bath. Get a good night's sleep. When these simple things do not work, get some help! Turn to an experienced friend, a veteran of the industry in which you work, or a business coach.
Trapped in a Golden Cage
This form of burnout stalks the person who is successful. Success breeds success, but it also breeds burnout for the unsuspecting. This is the overly successful business executive whose hard work and good fortune have allowed him or her to expand the business and take on new clients or larger projects along with a greater credit line and deeper debt. "I can't stop now" is the motto. "So many people depend on me" is the refrain. "Just a few more years and we'll be over the top" is the signal that a train crash is going to happen. This person is all work and no play. Time, for this person, has literally become money.
The gamble is that good health practices such as exercise, sleep and proper nutrition can be sacrificed for a few more years until the business is over the top and there is time to live properly. Lots of marriages get sacrificed this way and lots of heart attacks happen to those who live high on adrenaline, driving themselves to ever-greater heights of business success in order to achieve financial goals.
One of the biggest warning signs is the taking on of greater financial risks and debts in order to expand. Another warning sign is overextending one's efforts in order to avoid hiring others to grow with the business. "Paying with a pound of flesh" is very bad business. It is even worse from the standpoint of stress management. The odds are stacked against anyone who does this. If this description fits you, consider the antidote.
Antidote: create balance by finding other interests besides the business, preferably activities you can share with those people in your life who love you, such as wife and children, friends and relatives. This will make it easier to put some limits on your work hours. It will help you develop perspective about where you are taking the business and how best to get there. Remember: there are always options. When you can't find options it is definitely time to pull back and rethink!
Burnout in business can happen because things aren't going well enough and that gets people trying too hard or worrying too much. But it can also happen because things are going so well that people begin to believe they can't afford to stop. Physicians will often note that too much of a good thing brings them patients just as surely as too little of a good thing.
Burnout in business comes from feast and from famine. Make sure to stay somewhere in between those two extremes if you plan to avoid burning out from the stress that goes with the territory.
Losoncy is a licensed therapist, an executive coach and president of three corporations. To learn about his services please go to http://www.mvpseminars.com
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