Leadership: Take Time to Energize

Elizabeth is the executive director of a large non-profit
organization that provides wide-ranging services to people
in need. She and her staff work long hours to help their
clients as effectively as possible, always trying to make
the best use of limited resources. While she acknowledges
that hard work and scarce resources are the way of the
non-profit world Elizabeth admits that she feels
increasingly overwhelmed. She accepts as fact that she will
work herself to burnout then leave the organization.

Frank, a successful surgeon, is a popular, sought-after
speaker at medical conferences around the world. He
struggles to balance the challenges of his work with the
demands of his family while trying to squeeze a little time
for himself out of his tight schedule. Like Elizabeth,
Frank has resigned himself to what he sees as the
inevitable cost of his career. Living with exhaustion and
fatigue is the price he has to pay for his success.

Kate is the mother of three small children. She works a
part-time job, struggling to maintain her home, care for
her kids, spend time with her husband, get enough exercise,
and tend to her aging parents’ needs. Like Frank and
Elizabeth, Kate resignedly accepts her situation the way it
is. She feels powerless to change things.

Kate, Frank and Elizabeth find themselves in demanding
situations. They sought coaching because they were tired.
They want to make changes in their lives and their
livelihoods but because they see so many others
experiencing similar fatigue, exhaustion and burnout, they
assumed they had to accept the status quo. They felt
resigned that this is just the way things are.

A strong desire to serve the people around them drives
Kate, Frank and Elizabeth. They are committed to doing
their best and giving their all. Their intentions are good
and their dedication is admirable. Their behavior, though,
is incompatible with their goals; in fact, it is
counterproductive.  Each fails to see that a frantic
lifestyle is not good for anyone.

Elizabeth’s staff, for example, looks to her as a role
model. She sets the standard for their work methods. She
stressed the importance of seeking balance in life and
work, but her own life demonstrated a lack of balance. She
talked the talk, but she did not walk the walk. As her
staff modeled her behavior, they wore out quickly and
failed to produce the desired high quality of their vitally
needed services.

With coaching Kate, Elizabeth, and Frank were able to stop
long enough to reflect on the consequences of their
actions. Frank was able to re-connect to his goal to treat
and help many patients over a long career. He sees now that
he will not be able to achieve his goal if he continues to
work at his current pace. He simply will not have the
stamina. Kate was able to admit to how irritable she is
with her family because of her pressured schedule, and to
recognize the undesirable impact it has on her children.
Elizabeth is learning to practice what she preaches.

Armed with their new awareness, all three are finding
creative ways to live and work differently than before yet
still make true, sustainable differences in people’s lives.
Frank, Elizabeth and Kate each started small, but with
every small success, they find the energy and the incentive
to continue to change their lives for the better. They feel
healthy and motivated, thus they can give more to the
people and the organizations they lead.

• Are you trying to give of yourself in spite of exhaustion
and fatigue?
• Are you exhausted to the point of questioning your
ability to meet your goals?
• Do the people around you sense your exhaustion?
• How has your exhaustion affected the people you lead?

I challenge you to stop. Step back. Look for some small
immediate change you can make to energize and to care for
yourself. Now do it. Continue with other small, manageable
changes. As you feel more energy you will find the
motivation to look for new ways to overcome your
resignation to situations you thought were inevitable.

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Bill Pullen is President of Pullen & Associates, a
Washington, DC based consulting firm providing coaching and
consulting services to individuals making change as well as
corporations, the federal government and private
organizations. His work focuses on managing change,
developing current and emerging leaders and building
leadership capacity within organizations.
http://www.PullenAssociates.com