Leadership-CoP - Burnout - Sources, Signs and Solutions

ABSTRACT

Before the work of Dr Herbert Freudenberger, burnout was not something we discussed. A sense of exhaustion - physical & mental - disconnection, and cynicism, it is becoming more common place at work. 

Freudeberger's 12 step model of burnout helped us to understand the process by which burnout happens. However, it is not always the case that burnout follows a predictable and methodical path. Indeed like grief, it has a tendency to jump from one phase to another and even to skip some phases altogether.

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.” (WHO ICD-11 2019)

Burnout leads to reduced performance, mood changes, distancing from work and people and more. It is also a cause of poorer immune system function - not something that anyone wants to experience during Covid-19!

BIO

Ruth Pearce, Project Manager Burnout Coach & Project Motivator.

Ruth Pearce is the founder of ALLE LLC and of Project Manager Burnout Coaching. She focuses her attention on helping project professionals to be the best they can be while feeling as good as they can. She combines mindfulness, character strengths, cognitive science and emotional, social and motivational intelligence to provide group coaching, training and more.

Ruth Pearce is the Chief Inspiration Office of A Lever Long Enough (ALLE LLC- Project Motivator), supporting and coaching project professionals and team members to transform the workplace into a community.

An avid proponent of focusing on what works, Ruth starts with character strengths as a powerful way to forge connections between team members in a safe way.

Ruth’s vision is to bring the art and science of character strengths and community building to project managers. Based on twenty years of direct experience in the field supported by extensive research in the science of Character Strengths and Positive Psychology, Ruth’s book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management was published in November 2018.

In addition to running her own business, Ruth is a LinkedIn Learning instructor with two courses for project managers already released, and another - on counteracting burnout - due for release in May 2022. She is a regular speaker on the topics of character strengths, mindfulness and burnout for project managers, and has addressed more than 45,000 people workwide. She is the creator of the ALLE LLC Community of Practice for VIA Character Strengths practitoners, and the Chair of the Leadership CoP for NCPMI. In May - Mental Health Awareness Month - she will be launching a new group coaching program for project managers who want to prevent or recover from burnout.