Working as a leader can be very rewarding and motivating and yet can also be the cause of great stress. Whether you manage a small team or are an executive at a large company, leadership can be difficult and could cause you to experience burnout. You may be experiencing burnout if you begin to feel overworked, overwhelmed, unmotivated and you go into every workday with a negative outlook. Before you become a victim of leadership burnout, here are some tips to help you avoid it.
Recognize the Symptoms
While you may realize when you become stressed and overwhelmed, but you may not recognize when these symptoms, combined with factors such as poor performance and emotional exhaustion, turn into burnout. Chronic stress can be devastating, not only to your work performance but to your mental and physical health as well. It’s important, especially as a leader, to regularly check in with yourself to determine if these symptoms are more than just a little stress.
Delegate
When you’re a leader, you may feel as though you’re responsible for more than should. Revaluate your workload and calendar to determine the best more manageable schedule. It can be lonely to be a leader, especially the higher up you get within a company. Learning to communicate and delegate with the people around you will help to manage workloads and improve the work environment. Not only will it help you manage your work as a leader, but it could also help your team when you take stock of all the things you need to do.
Take Time For Yourself
When you are reevaluating your schedule, be sure to carve out some time for yourself. When you are a leader, it can be easy to take on more than you can and not take time for yourself. In order to reduce some stress that you feel which can help prevent burnout. Plan to spend a bit of time each week away from your work doing something that you enjoy. Take on a new hobby or sign up for an exercise class that you can look forward to during the week. Regularly setting aside time for yourself can be the difference in experiencing burnout.