If you’re feeling more burned out than fired up in your business lately, you’re not alone. The past few years have pushed many of us to our limits, leaving us wondering if we’ll ever feel that spark of innovation and excitement again. Today, let’s talk about how to move from feeling burned out to truly thriving in your leadership role.
The Burned Out Epidemic: You Can’t Thrive While You’re Surviving
Recently, I had a heart-to-heart with a client who was at her wit’s end. She felt completely burned out, frustrated, and drained of energy. Every attempt at innovation fell flat, and she could sense her team was feeling the same way. Sound familiar?
Here’s the hard truth I shared with her, and now I’m sharing it with you: You can’t thrive and survive simultaneously. It’s like trying to run a marathon with a broken foot—you’re setting yourself up for more damage in the long run.
But here’s the good news: There’s a way out of this burned-out cycle, and it starts with getting back to basics.
The Back-to-Basics Approach: Your Burned-Out Antidote
When you’re feeling burned out, taking on anything new feels impossible. Instead, it’s time to heal and rebuild your foundation. This back-to-basics approach isn’t about adding more to your plate – it’s about stripping away the excess and focusing on what truly matters. By returning to your core principles and streamlining your operations, you can start to reignite that spark and move from feeling burned out to feeling energized. Let’s break down this approach into three key areas:
Revisit Your Mission, Vision, and Values
First things first, gather your team and revisit your organization’s mission, vision, and values. Are they still relevant? Does everyone understand and believe in them?
In a recent all-staff meeting for my preschools, we did exactly this. It’s crucial to ensure everyone’s on the same page and feels aligned with your organization’s purpose. If not, it might be time for some honest conversations or even a refresh of your core principles.
Redefine Roles and Responsibilities
When you’re feeling burned out, roles often blur as everyone pitches in to keep the ship afloat. While this all-hands-on-deck approach can work short-term, it’s a fast track to complete burnout if left unchecked.
Take time to clearly define who’s responsible for what. If people are still covering extra duties due to staffing shortages, acknowledge their efforts and communicate your plan to address the gaps. Clarity and appreciation go a long way in preventing your team from feeling burned out.
Return to Your Standard Operating Procedures
Remember those policies and procedures you created when you weren’t feeling burned out? It’s time to dust them off. These guidelines exist to remove emotion from decision-making and provide a clear path forward, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
If you don’t have documented processes, now’s the perfect time to create them. Think of it as creating a roadmap for your business that will guide you through future challenges and prevent you from feeling burned out again.
From Burned Out to Fired Up: Your Action Plan
Ready to shift from feeling burned out to thriving? Here’s your action plan:
- Schedule a “Back to Basics” meeting with your team. Review your mission, vision, and values together.
- Audit your current roles and responsibilities. Identify any gaps or blurred lines that might be contributing to feeling burned out and create a plan to address them.
- Review (or create) your Standard Operating Procedures. Ensure they align with your current needs and goals.
- Be patient with yourself and your team. Remember, you can’t heal from feeling burned out and push for growth simultaneously. Give yourself grace as you rebuild your foundation.
- Celebrate small wins. Recognizing progress, no matter how small, can reignite motivation and combat feeling burned out.
Remember, there’s no shame in admitting you’re feeling burned out. In fact, recognizing it is the first step towards thriving again. You’ve weathered the storm this far – now it’s time to rebuild and come back stronger than ever.
Have you experienced feeling burned out in your leadership role? How did you overcome it? Share your stories and strategies in the comments below or in our Leading Ladies Facebook group. Let’s support each other in moving from burned out to fired up!
You’ve got this, Leading Lady! Here’s to rediscovering your spark and leading with renewed energy and purpose.
Join the Leading Lady Community
For more insights and strategies on overcoming feeling burned out and thriving in leadership, I invite you to join my community:
- Tune into the Leading Lady Podcast.
- Connect with me on Instagram.
- Join the conversation in the Leading Ladies Facebook Group.
220: Operating at Full Capacity is Not Sustainable