I was working with a CEO of a billion dollar plus company the other day and he asked me what could be done in today’s extremely difficult macro environment to keep his executive team from burning out. I’ve thought a lot about that question and, while there is no silver bullet, I do think that the answer lies in how the culture of the company is designed to support and reward extraordinary effort.
While culture is complex and is made up of many components the simple definition of what it is can be summed up by saying that it’s how we do what we do to get things done. In the doing – particularly in a highly stressed environment – there is definitely a feeling of being used. Used in the sense that energy is being expended, time is being devoted, sacrifices are being made and other demands are taking priority over personal desires. If my being used in the pursuit of the organization’s goals, objectives and possibly its very survival is felt to be taken for granted there will be a problem.
Burn out is not a consequence of working hard, working long hours, or of lack of being “out of balance”. Burn out is the result of extended time spent doing without connection to meaning. If what I’m doing – what I’m being used for – is not recognized as being meaningful I will have a problem sustaining it.
Appreciation keeps me connected to meaning. Appreciation that is genuine. Appreciation that is personal. Appreciation answers the question “What is the difference you bring that makes a difference?” The focus of this question is an explicit recognition of the way(s) that your actions have had impact and have made our lives better. It includes as well a recognition of what it took for you to so. It’s different than a simple acknowledgment that recognizes that you’re a contributor and are having impact. Appreciation includes speaking not only the what that you provided…it also includes an explicit citation of what it must have taken in order for you to do so (i.e., “organizing this offsite for the team has made it possible for us to jell around this issue in ways we couldn’t otherwise have done. And, I recognize that making this happen was a significant political risk that took a fair amount of courage in this fiscally constrained environment”. This difference is crucial.
Many organizational cultures practice acknowledgment in the form of a simple “thank you” when someone does something that goes beyond an expected minimum. Appreciation takes this to deeper and very personal level. It’s because it’s personal that it makes a difference. Taking it to a personal level is what makes it meaningful. And, it’s because it’s personal that it’s not part of most organizational cultures.
Learning to authentically and consistently practice appreciation keeps people engaged. And engaged employees do not burn out.
