The great poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." Truth is only discovered in times of difficulty. Courage and self-awareness blossom and grow the most when times are the roughest. When adversity strikes, it often feels like we are plunged into a dark void from which we will never emerge. But often when things are the darkest, the stars come out and shine their light upon us so that we can see the path before us.
That is what happened to Jo Jerman, vice president of Merck & Company, Inc. She heads the company's most successful regional division. Today, everyone regards Jerman as a success. But this wasn't always the case. At the age of 22, Jerman entered a marriage that lasted only 11 months. She was the first person in her family to be divorced, and everyone she knew considered this to be a great failure on her part. Not only had the marriage ended, but Jerman's ex had run up an enormous amount of debt and left her destitute. She was soon working three jobs and hardly able to make ends meet. "But," says Jerman today, "what I learned at that relatively early age is that adversity is what teaches us about ourselves. That's when you become who you are. It's character defining."
During this dark period of her life, Jerman was offered a job as a sales representative. "I was totally convinced I couldn't do it," she says. "Especially when I found out it meant moving away from home. I was scared, but I also knew this was my new beginning. It was a moment of decision—either I make this work, or I give up on everything." Jerman believes that one of the reasons it's sometimes difficult to cope during rough times is that adversity challenges us to change, and that it is a part of our human nature to resist change. "One of the most important aspects of adversity," says Jerman, "is that it makes you feel so uncomfortable that you have no choice but to re-examine what you're doing and why you're doing it." I wanted to share Jerman’s story and attitude because it blended nicely into what I am talking about today. I had read her story very recently in a book I am reading.
We must not be afraid of adversity, for instead of grinding us down, it can polish us up to brilliance. We must not be afraid of resistance; remember the kite always rises against the wind, not with it. And we must not be afraid of pressure, for it's that very pressure that forms the diamond, one of the toughest, most beautiful stones on earth.
"Not many people are willing to give failure a second opportunity. They fail once and it's all over. The bitter pill of failure...is often more than people can handle. ...if you're willing to accept failure and learn from it, if you're willing to consider failure as a blessing in disguise and bounce back, you've got the potential harnessing of one of the most powerful success forces." -Joseph Sugarman
The Three Most Powerful Words in the English Language
What keeps people going after their passion and goals without giving up? What keeps their attitude intact when everything seems to be going wrong around them?
I remember hearing a story of an American team of mountain climbers getting ready to climb Mount Everest. Before making the climb each member of the team was interviewed by a psychiatrist. The one question that was asked of each climber was this... "Will you make it to the top?" Each of them had positive and enthusiastic responses..."I'll do my best," or "I've trained many years and I'm going to try." But one man had a different answer. He simply said "Yes, I will." He was the first one who made it to the top, and people who watched him do it were amazed because of the inclement weather.
A "Yes, I will" attitude has been responsible for more achievements in this world because of the belief and faith attached to the commitment. There have been many projects I've worked on over the years where it would’ve been easy to give up when the road got bumpy. When faith and belief are backing your actions, there is nothing you can't accomplish.
If you doubt this, go rent the DVD Rudy. Rudy Ruettiger was a working-class kid with low grades and little athletic skill. He was kind of small, too. But Rudy had a dream. He wanted to play football for Notre Dame. His dream didn't make sense to most people; they said he could never get into the school, much less play on the team. But Rudy, despite the odds, believed in his dream. After many years of hard work and massive amounts of rejection, Rudy got into Notre Dame. Because of his attitude and faith in action, he made the football team. Then, in the only play in the only game of his football career, Rudy sacked the opposing quarterback. He was carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders. And if you asked Rudy if he was going to play for the Notre Dame football team when he was a kid...I'm sure he would’ve answered "YES, I WILL."
I have been listening to a fantastic gift from a friend…an audio story called Diamond in the Rough. What I think about most while listening is all the rejection that I received when I first was into my career, and how those experiences gave me the motivation to use “No” to make me “Go.” Diamonds are formed under great pressure, and going through various setbacks and rejection can polish your skills and give you insights on how to deal with new scenarios in tough times.
I came across the “Top 10 Facets of Success” — traits high achievers have in common — and thought these attributes can help all of us focus when we get off track, and I hope they help you.
Successful People:
1. Have a positive attitude.
The old cliché happens to be true. It’s not what happens to you that counts as much as how you react to what happens. Successful people are realistic optimists.
2. Create their own opportunities.
It’s the fall that fascinates me because of the advantages gained when one gets back up. We gain valuable information and intelligence from every fall, every obstacle, and every painful situation. It’s understanding adversity to the point that we are actually building ourselves through it, not cutting ourselves down.
3. Turn fear into fuel for success.
Fear can be a motivator, pushing us forward. It’s what we learn when we try something that we’ve never done before that gives us additional skills to deal with what’s in front of us. I remember someone telling me that fear is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Our minds create a more frightening picture than the reality of the situation.
4. Feel passion for what they do.
It’s possible to become wealthy doing something you hate. But does that equal success? When asked, “What is the secret to your success?,” every person in an interview regarding success answered that he or she had found something he or she loved to do.
5. Take action.
If high achievers desire a particular outcome, they will put everything they have into its realization. They don’t expect to be handed anything on a silver platter; they don’t even begin a project unless they know they’re willing to put in the effort it will take to make it successful, and they work hard because they know nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without effort.
6. Mine their brain power.
You can make no greater investment than an investment into your own mind. Leaders are readers. We become what we think about all day long...so examine what you're reading and also who you're spending your time with. That will have a huge impact on your overall performance.
7. Learn how to learn.
The thirst for knowledge should never be quenched. High achievers always want to learn how to learn more effectively and keep on improving. It’s what we learn after we know it all that really counts.
8. Set compelling goals.
They focus on what they want to achieve and establish priorities. Goals provide them with a purpose.
9. Surround themselves with wise advisers.
They seek out mentors whose wisdom and experience can help them achieve their goals and desires.
10. Know the value of serving others.
They are grateful for what they have been able to achieve and are happy to help others do the same. They know that by elevating someone else’s success, they elevate their own.
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." -Maya Angelou, poet and author
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Dealing with Burnout
How can you try so hard to succeed and yet fail?
I once knew a salesperson who was so successful that he failed. His sales and commissions were high, and yet he failed. He was in his office at 6:00 a.m. each weekday and left at nearly 9:00 p.m. each evening. Weekends were used to work at home to catch up on reading, paperwork, and administrative details.
His fierce and unrelenting work schedule was amply rewarded financially. Unfortunately, along the way, he became a different person. He became irritable, forgetful, impatient, and fatigued. His family, friends, and co‑workers were disappointed and even disgusted with his new personality. Even though he was very successful at work, he was failing at everything else. Eventually he became bored and disenchanted with the sales profession altogether. He was a classic victim of the vicious cycle of BURNOUT.
WHAT IS BURNOUT?
What happens when you run a machine too hard and too long? It burns out. The same thing happens to a human machine—a person. When people strive too hard and too long to reach a goal, they burn out. Burnout is a state of fatigue and/or frustration brought on by an intense pursuit of a goal or devotion to a cause. It brings on a series of physical, emotional, and psychological problems.
WHO SUFFERS FROM BURNOUT?
Super-achievers suffer from burnout. They usually have overly full schedules and yet still find the time to take on more. They have a difficult time saying no to the requests of others. When working on projects, they usually do more than their share. Part of their problem relates to their inability or unwillingness to delegate things to others. They like things done right and done on time. Consequently, they do almost everything themselves.
I liken burnout victims to jugglers. They pick up three balls (jobs, tasks, causes) and start juggling them. Once they feel competent enough, they pick up two more balls. Then three more. Now they’re juggling eight tasks at the same time. Other people marvel at the burnout victim’s ability to do so many things at the same time. The victim’s pat response is “I work well under pressure.” That is true. However, nobody works well under extreme levels of tension and pressure for extended periods of time. Eventually, the overall quality of the victim’s work diminishes. People around them become increasingly skeptical, disappointed, and critical of the victim’s work. The victims sense these negative feelings and overcompensate by pushing themselves even harder. They actually pick up four more balls for their juggling act. The quality of their work deteriorates even further. The vicious cycl e of burnout claims another victim.
The people who fall prey to burnout are not bad people. They simply lose their perspective of what is really important in life. They strive too hard to reach a goal in one area of their life, such as their business or profession, and let the other areas of their life (family, social, personal, etc.) flounder. They usually do not heed the warning signals or symptoms of burnout because they honestly believe things will get better soon. They don’t! These people simply expose themselves to too much stress over too short a period of time, and they burn out. Even when they’re lucky enough to achieve their goal and get what they wanted, it usually isn’t what they expected. In other words, the reward doesn’t seem to compensate them for their efforts.
ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF BURNING OUT?
Most people like to know whether they are one of the unlucky victims of burnout. If so, you are probably exhibiting some or all of the burnout symptoms. These include constant exhaustion, paranoia, forgetfulness, emotional tension, boredom, lethargy, impatience, irritability, skepticism and cynicism, and a superman complex—a sense of omnipotence. Do not rush to the burnout doctor if you are experiencing some of these symptoms. It is common for everyone to experience some of these ills occasionally, yet temporarily, in some areas of their life. The burnout victims have symptoms that are constant, growing, and pervasive throughout all aspects of their life. They are truly sick physically and emotionally.
How prone are you to burnout?
HOW DO YOU PREVENT OR RECOVER FROM BURNOUT?
The following activities can help prevent you from becoming a burnout victim. They can also aid you in recovering from a burnout you are already experiencing. In following these guidelines, do not try to change too many of your behaviors at once. That will result in a quick case of frustration and a reversion to your comfortable old behaviors. Attempt one new behavioral change at a time. Do not try an additional new behavior until you have comfortably mastered the previous one. In this way, your new healthy behaviors will last.
1. Limit the number of hours you work. The classic burnout victims work excessively long hours—6 or 7 days per week. Even when they’re home or out socializing, they can’t stop thinking and talking business. They wear themselves down physically and mentally.
Make a firm commitment to cut your daily workload down by one hour per week, each and every week, until you’re down to 8‑9 hours per day, five days per week. Don t say that’s impossible. It certainly is possible if you learn how to manage your time better.
2. Set goals—write them down. Most burnout victims work so hard and so long because they get bogged down in too many trivial tasks. Very often the really important jobs, the ones with a high payoff, never get done. This lack of task perspective is very often the direct result of not having clearly defined goals down in writing.
By knowing what is truly important to you in your life, and by having clearly written goals and action plans, you are better able to differentiate the high-payoff tasks from the low-payoff tasks. Then, if you spend most or all of your time doing your high-priority tasks, you’ll probably accomplish twice as much in half the time.
3. Learn to say “No!” Burnout victims have a difficult time telling people they are not able to do another task. They feel it shatters their omnipotent image. Ironically, taking on too much puts so much pressure on the burnout victims that the overall quality of their work decreases and their superman image suffers anyway. When you feel you have more than enough to keep you busy, politely refuse to take on more.
4. Learn to delegate. One of the major problems afflicting burnout victims is their inability and unwillingness to delegate tasks to others. They must resist the tendency to do things themselves. Train others, especially your secretary or assistant, to do your routine and low-priority tasks. Also delegate the right to make mistakes. That’s how others learn. Give them their space to do things on their own. You should be spending your time on planning and completing your high‑priority tasks.
5. Exercise. One of the most effective ways to relieve tension and stress is through exercise. It not only helps you avoid a burnout episode, it also helps you circumvent many other physical ailments. Workaholics and super-achievers complain that they do not have the time to exercise. On the contrary, taking time out of a busy schedule to exercise usually makes you feel less fatigued while you’re working and actually increases your level of awareness and productivity on the job. Force yourself to get at least 200 minutes of physical activity per week spread out over at least five separate days.
6. Break your routines. Don’t follow too rigid a schedule. Too much structure gets you into a rut. In the field of nutrition, the experts recommend rotational dieting. That simply means not eating the same foods all the time and adding variety and flexibility to your eating habits. The same advice holds true for your daily and weekly work schedule. Purposely go out of your way to do some things differently, to do some new things, and to do them at different times.
7. Try to relax. Kick back every so often during each day. Let your mind wander, not thinking about anything in particular, and especially not about business. These are necessary recharge breaks. Take long, hot baths at home to relieve tension. You will find that this is an ideal way to relax both your mind and body.
8. Eat lunch AWAY from the office. This is an excellent way to accomplish many of the above suggestions: Walking to and from the restaurant or the park is an excellent source of exercise. Eating lunch outside or in the park is an ideal way to relax and cleanse your mind. Leaving the office for meals breaks the routine of being in the office all day.
9. Take vacations. Most burnout victims rarely take vacations. They have too much work to do. Even when their spouse forces them to go on a vacation, they load one suitcase with books, reading materials, and work. If the vacation consists of more than three days in the same location, burnout victims start climbing the walls. They’re on a withdrawal from work.
If you react in the above manner, take a series of three‑day vacations throughout the year and discipline yourself not to bring any work with you. Vacation to relax, not simply to work in another environment.
10. Spend more time with your family. I realize not everyone is married or has a family. Those who do should schedule their family members into their appointment book and respect the entry as they would any other business appointment. Eat at least one meal per day with your family. Try to keep business calls to a minimum at your home. Spend one evening and one half-day per week doing something with your family as a group (TV watching doesn’t count!). Get to really know the people who are very important to you in your life.
11. Take time for yourself. Get away by yourself intermittently. Spend some time alone getting to know yourself. Meditate. Relax. Read light, enjoyable material. Pursue a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with your line of work, but which is relaxing and enjoyable. Treat yourself—you deserve it.
12. Don’t take life too seriously. Believe it or not, you’re not indispensable. Not to the world. Not to your country. Not even to your company. Everything will go on with or without you. Let up on yourself and others. Yes, you do make a contribution—maybe even a major one. But don’t overestimate your own value and worth. Do what you do and do it well. But, don’t kill yourself in the process, because then you’re of no value to the people and causes for which you were working. Take care of yourself and enjoy all aspects of your life—not just work. Everyone will be the better for it, especially you.
Being successful is not easy. It takes hard work, smart work, and dedication. However, if you try TOO hard to succeed, at the expense of other areas of your life, it is only a matter of time before you burn out. The consequences of burnout are not pretty. You don’t have to fall victim to it if you just keep your goals in perspective and your total life in balance, and follow the burnout-prevention recommendations suggested in this article. You’ll be successful in ALL areas of your life, not just work.
I once knew a salesperson who was so successful that he failed. His sales and commissions were high, and yet he failed. He was in his office at 6:00 a.m. each weekday and left at nearly 9:00 p.m. each evening. Weekends were used to work at home to catch up on reading, paperwork, and administrative details.
His fierce and unrelenting work schedule was amply rewarded financially. Unfortunately, along the way, he became a different person. He became irritable, forgetful, impatient, and fatigued. His family, friends, and co‑workers were disappointed and even disgusted with his new personality. Even though he was very successful at work, he was failing at everything else. Eventually he became bored and disenchanted with the sales profession altogether. He was a classic victim of the vicious cycle of BURNOUT.
WHAT IS BURNOUT?
What happens when you run a machine too hard and too long? It burns out. The same thing happens to a human machine—a person. When people strive too hard and too long to reach a goal, they burn out. Burnout is a state of fatigue and/or frustration brought on by an intense pursuit of a goal or devotion to a cause. It brings on a series of physical, emotional, and psychological problems.
WHO SUFFERS FROM BURNOUT?
Super-achievers suffer from burnout. They usually have overly full schedules and yet still find the time to take on more. They have a difficult time saying no to the requests of others. When working on projects, they usually do more than their share. Part of their problem relates to their inability or unwillingness to delegate things to others. They like things done right and done on time. Consequently, they do almost everything themselves.
I liken burnout victims to jugglers. They pick up three balls (jobs, tasks, causes) and start juggling them. Once they feel competent enough, they pick up two more balls. Then three more. Now they’re juggling eight tasks at the same time. Other people marvel at the burnout victim’s ability to do so many things at the same time. The victim’s pat response is “I work well under pressure.” That is true. However, nobody works well under extreme levels of tension and pressure for extended periods of time. Eventually, the overall quality of the victim’s work diminishes. People around them become increasingly skeptical, disappointed, and critical of the victim’s work. The victims sense these negative feelings and overcompensate by pushing themselves even harder. They actually pick up four more balls for their juggling act. The quality of their work deteriorates even further. The vicious cycl e of burnout claims another victim.
The people who fall prey to burnout are not bad people. They simply lose their perspective of what is really important in life. They strive too hard to reach a goal in one area of their life, such as their business or profession, and let the other areas of their life (family, social, personal, etc.) flounder. They usually do not heed the warning signals or symptoms of burnout because they honestly believe things will get better soon. They don’t! These people simply expose themselves to too much stress over too short a period of time, and they burn out. Even when they’re lucky enough to achieve their goal and get what they wanted, it usually isn’t what they expected. In other words, the reward doesn’t seem to compensate them for their efforts.
ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF BURNING OUT?
Most people like to know whether they are one of the unlucky victims of burnout. If so, you are probably exhibiting some or all of the burnout symptoms. These include constant exhaustion, paranoia, forgetfulness, emotional tension, boredom, lethargy, impatience, irritability, skepticism and cynicism, and a superman complex—a sense of omnipotence. Do not rush to the burnout doctor if you are experiencing some of these symptoms. It is common for everyone to experience some of these ills occasionally, yet temporarily, in some areas of their life. The burnout victims have symptoms that are constant, growing, and pervasive throughout all aspects of their life. They are truly sick physically and emotionally.
How prone are you to burnout?
HOW DO YOU PREVENT OR RECOVER FROM BURNOUT?
It’s not easy. It requires an intense commitment on your part to change your behavior for the better, and the healthier. It will require the same devotion and willpower as quitting smoking or going on a diet. However, don’t try too hard. You may burn out by trying too hard to get better.
1. Limit the number of hours you work. The classic burnout victims work excessively long hours—6 or 7 days per week. Even when they’re home or out socializing, they can’t stop thinking and talking business. They wear themselves down physically and mentally.
Make a firm commitment to cut your daily workload down by one hour per week, each and every week, until you’re down to 8‑9 hours per day, five days per week. Don t say that’s impossible. It certainly is possible if you learn how to manage your time better.
2. Set goals—write them down. Most burnout victims work so hard and so long because they get bogged down in too many trivial tasks. Very often the really important jobs, the ones with a high payoff, never get done. This lack of task perspective is very often the direct result of not having clearly defined goals down in writing.
By knowing what is truly important to you in your life, and by having clearly written goals and action plans, you are better able to differentiate the high-payoff tasks from the low-payoff tasks. Then, if you spend most or all of your time doing your high-priority tasks, you’ll probably accomplish twice as much in half the time.
3. Learn to say “No!” Burnout victims have a difficult time telling people they are not able to do another task. They feel it shatters their omnipotent image. Ironically, taking on too much puts so much pressure on the burnout victims that the overall quality of their work decreases and their superman image suffers anyway. When you feel you have more than enough to keep you busy, politely refuse to take on more.
4. Learn to delegate. One of the major problems afflicting burnout victims is their inability and unwillingness to delegate tasks to others. They must resist the tendency to do things themselves. Train others, especially your secretary or assistant, to do your routine and low-priority tasks. Also delegate the right to make mistakes. That’s how others learn. Give them their space to do things on their own. You should be spending your time on planning and completing your high‑priority tasks.
5. Exercise. One of the most effective ways to relieve tension and stress is through exercise. It not only helps you avoid a burnout episode, it also helps you circumvent many other physical ailments. Workaholics and super-achievers complain that they do not have the time to exercise. On the contrary, taking time out of a busy schedule to exercise usually makes you feel less fatigued while you’re working and actually increases your level of awareness and productivity on the job. Force yourself to get at least 200 minutes of physical activity per week spread out over at least five separate days.
6. Break your routines. Don’t follow too rigid a schedule. Too much structure gets you into a rut. In the field of nutrition, the experts recommend rotational dieting. That simply means not eating the same foods all the time and adding variety and flexibility to your eating habits. The same advice holds true for your daily and weekly work schedule. Purposely go out of your way to do some things differently, to do some new things, and to do them at different times.
7. Try to relax. Kick back every so often during each day. Let your mind wander, not thinking about anything in particular, and especially not about business. These are necessary recharge breaks. Take long, hot baths at home to relieve tension. You will find that this is an ideal way to relax both your mind and body.
8. Eat lunch AWAY from the office. This is an excellent way to accomplish many of the above suggestions: Walking to and from the restaurant or the park is an excellent source of exercise. Eating lunch outside or in the park is an ideal way to relax and cleanse your mind. Leaving the office for meals breaks the routine of being in the office all day.
9. Take vacations. Most burnout victims rarely take vacations. They have too much work to do. Even when their spouse forces them to go on a vacation, they load one suitcase with books, reading materials, and work. If the vacation consists of more than three days in the same location, burnout victims start climbing the walls. They’re on a withdrawal from work.
If you react in the above manner, take a series of three‑day vacations throughout the year and discipline yourself not to bring any work with you. Vacation to relax, not simply to work in another environment.
10. Spend more time with your family. I realize not everyone is married or has a family. Those who do should schedule their family members into their appointment book and respect the entry as they would any other business appointment. Eat at least one meal per day with your family. Try to keep business calls to a minimum at your home. Spend one evening and one half-day per week doing something with your family as a group (TV watching doesn’t count!). Get to really know the people who are very important to you in your life.
11. Take time for yourself. Get away by yourself intermittently. Spend some time alone getting to know yourself. Meditate. Relax. Read light, enjoyable material. Pursue a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with your line of work, but which is relaxing and enjoyable. Treat yourself—you deserve it.
12. Don’t take life too seriously. Believe it or not, you’re not indispensable. Not to the world. Not to your country. Not even to your company. Everything will go on with or without you. Let up on yourself and others. Yes, you do make a contribution—maybe even a major one. But don’t overestimate your own value and worth. Do what you do and do it well. But, don’t kill yourself in the process, because then you’re of no value to the people and causes for which you were working. Take care of yourself and enjoy all aspects of your life—not just work. Everyone will be the better for it, especially you.
Being successful is not easy. It takes hard work, smart work, and dedication. However, if you try TOO hard to succeed, at the expense of other areas of your life, it is only a matter of time before you burn out. The consequences of burnout are not pretty. You don’t have to fall victim to it if you just keep your goals in perspective and your total life in balance, and follow the burnout-prevention recommendations suggested in this article. You’ll be successful in ALL areas of your life, not just work.
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