A topic that comes up on a regular basis and even more so in our highly efficiency oriented workplace environments is how executives/strategists cope with role stresses and burnout. Notwithstanding our current obsession with efficiency – our euphemism for squeezing on time and resources, finding short-cuts, minimizing elegance, and producing immediate profitability – to compensate for our overall economy’s insufficient effectiveness, we constantly strive to do more with less. Burnout is also due to our own skill and resource limitations to cope with these efficiency pressures.
So your author set about finding an optimal solution to burnout by asking the following question: “What is an executive/strategist’s optimum option for coping with their role demands to avoid burnout; considering 1) their own strengths-limitations, 2) operating in high efficiency oriented workplaces, 3) being surrounded by competent, collaborative colleagues, and 4) potentially operating in conducive market-external environments?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in their eventual conclusion, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.
Your author decided to create yin and yang “bookends” posed by this question, to keep his mind focused. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.
These turned out to be: “Go along for the ride; let the chips fall where they may” – Lack of focus and sense of direction can create anxiety;and “Establish highly structured, command-and-control environs” – Can induce significant extra stresses and strains. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not particularly good ideas for consideration. Even so, these bookends will now hopefully nudge your editor’s intuitive thinking into high gear to come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Option Example.
He then set-out to produce at least five plus realistic options – A thru F – that would enable him to pursue Emotional Distancing (ED). EDwould allow him or a client to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion. You can replace these proposed five options with any new ones of your own.
His final options look quite interesting and both he and his clients would be particularly intrigued by – Option B: Surround w/strong, talented & motivated teams (not the cheapest) as a starter and closely followed by A.Your editor should stand-by any initial, intuitive decision, as it would likely only work against him to second-guess himself once that initial decision is made…no matter the challenges ahead.
If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com What is a perfectionist leader’s optimum option for minimizing their adverse impact on team members? Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time. Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)
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