Career & Office

Listen to Your Burnout…

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No two experiences of burnout are exactly alike. To recover, you first need to understand what your burnout is trying to tell you. Here are three common messages your burnout might be trying to communicate—and what to do about them.

You’re expected to over-index on work. Research has consistently shown that chronic overwork leads to a decrease in productivity, higher absenteeism and turnover, poorer health, and yes, burnout. If this is your experience, it’s time to invest in your rest and recovery, communicate and maintain your boundaries regarding when you are—and are not—available, and resist the temptation to check in after work hours.

You’ve outgrown your role. While overwork is a well-known cause of burnout, feeling chronically underutilized can also be a culprit. If you’re persistently restless, bored, directionless, disengaged, or not challenged at work, it’s likely you’ve outgrown your current role and are ready for a new chapter. If this is the case, do some self-reflection: What career would make you feel rejuvenated? Identify some possibilities, then take the first step in pursuing them.

This job is not what you signed up for. Do you feel a disconnect between what you expected when you were hired and what you actually experience at work? Pinpointing the exact misalignment is the key to resolving it. Is it your workload? Your day-to-day responsibilities? Your work culture? Your compensation? Once you’ve identified the problem, work with your manager to address it.

You Can Develop Your Soft Skills—Even When You Work from Home…

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In the age of AI, soft skills like empathy and creativity are more important than ever. But they can be a challenge to develop when you work from home. How can you build soft skills when you’re interacting with your colleagues over Slack and Zoom all day?

First, establish shared values and norms in one-on-one conversations. Start small by asking your colleagues about their work preferences, like when and how they like to communicate. Then go deeper, asking about their underlying motivations and passions.

Then make colleagues feel seen and heard. Use idle time in meetings to show genuine curiosity in your colleagues and practice your listening skills. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the agenda from time to time to have conversations about life outside of work.

Next, because you’re not getting the same on-the-fly coaching that comes with in-person interactions, you need to proactively seek feedback from your team and manager. This could take the form of scheduled check-ins or asking for immediate impressions after meetings.

Finally, seek out some in-person time. Even if you’re primarily a remote worker, finding ways to see your colleagues in person occasionally is an investment in your professional development. 

The Right Way to Raise a Difficult Issue with Your Boss…

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Raising a potentially emotional topic to your manager can be hard, especially if you’re uncertain of how they might respond. Whether you’re experiencing difficulties with a colleague, health issues, or feeling burned out, here’s how to raise the issue with your boss in your next one-on-one.

First, consider whether your manager can actually help you, and what kind of support you might be asking for. If this issue isn’t something your boss can help you address, perhaps they’re not the right person to discuss it with.

Once you’ve decided to share your issue with your boss, write down and practice your talking points. Consider their possible responses and plan for them. You might also let them know in advance that you want to bring up something sensitive in your next check-in.

Next, initiate the conversation with grace. Positive body language like smiling and soft eye contact can help you establish a warm, trusting mood. Then, lay out your talking points. If you’ve presented an issue that needs to be resolved, come to the meeting with possible solutions already in mind.

Finally, demonstrate composure and a willingness to adapt. Listen attentively to your manager’s responses. If they suggest revisions to your proposed solution, be willing to adapt and make reasonable compromises. End the meeting by thanking them for their support and verifying any next steps.

To Be a Better Leader, Protect Your Time Away from Work…

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If you can’t resist the pull of thinking about work after hours, you’re not alone. But new research shows that this tendency may not be beneficial, particularly if you’re new to a leadership role. In fact, constant rumination will lead you to feel more depleted, which your employees can pick up on. Here are some ways to create a healthy separation from work after hours.

Find ways to switch gears. Whether it’s mastering a new hobby, exercising, spending time with loved ones, or simply reading a book to relax, try investing in an activity you enjoy after hours to turn your attention away from the stress of work.

Establish boundaries between professional and personal time. Clearly delineate to your team your hours of availability—and try your best to stick to them every day. Creating guidelines for yourself about when work-related interruptions are allowed during non-work hours (e.g., what situations constitute leadership emergencies) can help you and your team understand and respect those boundaries more clearly.

Use time outside of work to rest and recover. Leadership is hard. If you’re feeling refreshed in the morning, you’ll be more equipped to take on leadership responsibilities than when you start your workday feeling drained.

Try This Hack to Communicate More Effectively…

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Try This Hack to Communicate More Effectively

Great communicators draw a roadmap that guides both themselves and their audience from point A to point B efficiently and effectively. Whether you’re giving an impromptu pitch or an annual presentation in the boardroom, this three-part framework can help you communicate more clearly, persuasively, and memorably. It requires three simple questions:

  1. What: Start by describing and defining the facts, situation, position, etc., that you and your audience are dealing with.
  2. So What: Then, move on to discussing the implications or importance for the audience. In other words, why is this relevant to them? Why should they care?
  3. Now What: End by outlining an action plan or next steps. This could be as complex as rolling out a new product or business plan, or as simple as setting up a follow-up meeting to check in.

This structure not only helps you organize your thoughts; it also serves as a guidepost for your audience, making the information easier to follow and act upon.

Be Prepared for Situational Interview Questions…

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Situational interview questions—open-ended prompts where you’re asked to describe how you solved a particular problem, aligned stakeholders on a project or influenced someone to think a certain way—are an opportunity to show how you’d approach a new role. Here’s how to set yourself apart from other candidates.

Use a proven format. When discussing an experience, structure your answer using the STAR(T) or CARL method. STAR(T) stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and Takeaways. CARL stands for Context, Action, Result, and Learning.

Tailor your stories to your audience. Be sure to connect the experiences you highlight to the job you’re applying for, especially if you’re jumping from one industry to another. Also consider who’s asking the question—for example, you might simplify technical language when talking to a recruiter but include those details when talking to a hiring manager.

Follow the two-minute rule. This one’s simple: Keep your stories under two minutes each. Consider practicing them in advance with a timer.

Mentorship Doesn’t Have to Burn You Out…

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While being a mentor is rewarding, mentoring several people can be a draining undertaking. How can you structure your mentorships in a way that feels sustainable? Here are three strategies that can help.

Divide your mentees into teams. Creating mentee teams enables them to operate semi-autonomously. If you have more than a couple of mentees, try organizing them into subgroups of three to four, giving the mentee with the greatest expertise the opportunity to lead the group. The team can then meet on its own time; junior employees will learn from more senior ones, and senior ones will learn how to be mentors themselves.

Set expectations early. Communicate what you expect in terms of email response times, meeting frequency, and specific areas that are “off limits” for discussion. If a mentee doesn’t commit to following through, it’s time to let them go. This tactic ensures that you’re only spending time on mentees who earn your attention.

Use technology to your advantage. Online scheduling tools can reduce the back-and-forth of finding a time to meet. You might also consider setting up weekly office hours (in person or virtual) during which any of your mentees can drop in.

The Traits You Need to Build Executive Presence…

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Aspiring leaders have long been told they need “executive presence” to be considered for senior roles. Traditionally this has boiled down to three attributes: gravitas, strong communication skills, and the “right” appearance. But what does that look like today? A recent survey sheds light on how our views have changed over the last decade.  

Gravitas. To project gravitas, you need to seem confident, decisive, and have a clear vision. But an increasingly important element of gravitas is being inclusive—not only hiring people with diverse backgrounds and giving everyone a fair shot at climbing the ladder but also ensuring that all your employees feel respected and supported.

Strong communication skills. Communicating well has always entailed speaking and writing clearly and the ability to command the room. In the new world of work, commanding Zoom (or other forms of virtual meetings) is just as important. To communicate with executive presence today also requires listening and learning—rather than communicating with force.

The “right” appearance. Appearance is the least-important attribute, but it’s the one that has changed the most from 2012 to 2022. Authenticity, which didn’t register with survey respondents 10 years ago, is newly prized. To be seen as leadership material today, executives are expected to reveal who they fundamentally are—not mimic some dated, idealized model of what it means to be “professional.”

Managers, Don’t Neglect Yourself When Supporting Your Team…

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Managers are expected to provide employees with more emotional support than ever—and many are burning out as a result. To sustain empathy for your employees, you first need to meet your own emotional needs. Here’s how to do that.

First, recognize the distress that can come with caring for others. After talking with a struggling colleague, take stock of your own emotions. If the conversation left you drained or upset, give yourself some time to process it.

Then, treat yourself with the same grace you offer others. Don’t blame yourself for your employees’ feelings—and don’t judge yourself for your own.

Finally, ask for help. You don’t have to project confidence and serenity at all times. If you’re emotionally honest with yourself and seek support when you need it, you’ll be better equipped to support others when they come to you for help.

Activity vs Accomplishment…

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In a world that equates busyness with effectiveness, it’s easy to fall into the trap of prioritizing activities over accomplishments. This common pitfall can lead us to confuse motion with progress, mistaking a full calendar for a fulfilling life. The hallmark of truly effective individuals, however, lies not in how they fill their time, but in how they fulfill their objectives.

The Mirage of Busyness

The allure of constant activity is deceptive. It creates a comforting illusion of productivity, where the sheer volume of tasks gives a false sense of achievement. This incessant busyness, however, often lacks direction. Without a clear end goal, activities become a treadmill of effort that leads nowhere, leaving us feeling drained and unfulfilled.

Shifting Focus to Outcomes

The key to breaking free from this cycle is a paradigm shift from activities to outcomes. Accomplishments are the bedrock of real progress. They require setting tangible goals and measuring success not by how busy we are, but by how much closer we are to achieving these goals. This shift encourages us to prioritize tasks that have a direct impact on our objectives, ensuring that every action taken is a step toward our desired outcome.

Embracing Efficiency

Efficiency is the natural byproduct of this outcome-oriented approach. By focusing on accomplishments, we learn to identify and eliminate unproductive activities, freeing up time and energy for tasks that genuinely matter. This not only boosts our productivity but also enhances our sense of satisfaction and purpose.

Conclusion

In the end, the choice between activity and accomplishment is the choice between motion and progress. By emphasizing outcomes over outputs, we can ensure that our efforts are meaningful and that our achievements are not just a list of tasks completed, but milestones that mark our journey towards our goals. Let’s not just be busy; let’s be impactful.