I suspect that when my great grandfather was growing up on his family’s farm, burnout was not a frequent topic at their dinner table. Sure, people worked their fingers to the bone, and they knew the meaning of exhaustion, perhaps better than anyone. But being tired and being burned out are two different things. Unfortunately, in today’s world, burnout seems to be the norm more than the exception.
What I’ve discovered in my own life and in the lives of people I respect, is that burnout is often preceded by a loss of purpose. Today’s transactional business culture erodes mission. Combine that with a relentless pace, and we see people working to simply make it through another week instead of working to make a difference.
If we peek behind that curtain a little more, we understand that burnout doesn’t just come from a demanding schedule, like the pace my great grandfather kept. It comes from losing sight of the meaning of our work. Said another way, I wholeheartedly believe that we can carry heavier loads when we’re convinced our work matters.
So how do we protect our purpose? At Icelaven, we’ve learned that this isn’t a one-time event, or a topic for a work retreat. It’s a discipline. It must become a priority of leadership to the extent that it’s baked into our culture. We know this is happening when our Core Values not only guide what we do but how we do it. It also shows up when we regularly reconnect our teams to our Vision. Finally, we know we’re a purpose-driven company when our performance is measured through the lens of why our goals matter, not merely if they’re accomplished on time.
We hear a lot about “finding our why” in business, and while I appreciate the concept, I confess that phrase seems a little cheesy, if not flimsy to me. I believe theologian Frederick Buechner said it best: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” And when we find that place, and stay in it, our focus and energy are restored.
When we align the gifts of our teams with work that matters, the “calling” of our people becomes a springboard to their achievement. That combats burnout because our team understands they’re part of something bigger than themselves. That inspires creativity, innovation, and hard work and shatters the isolation they feel in demanding jobs.
Work will always have pressure, problems, and headaches. It’s just part of life on this earth. But I believe we can bring our organizations back to life when we relentlessly commit to restoring our purpose and working to our Core Values.