If a manager or team leader experiences burnout, it can be difficult to help others, so it is critical to recognize the signs and address them. Ellwood highlighted several elements of burned-out teams:

Key people are spread too thin
Frequently changing priorities
Constantly fighting fires
Blaming others for mistakes or issues
Regular overtime
Unused vacation/PTO
Not enough time to discuss issues and barriers

She also offered three tools for helping to assess burnout in employees:

Preventing burnout

The good news is that leaders can develop skills to help them avoid burnout. These include:

Empathy
Communication
Listening
Relationship management
Conflict management
Interpersonal perception
Learning on the fly
Project management
Resilience
Self-awareness

Ellwood also focused on 10 competencies individuals can utilize to avoid personal burnout.

Self-awareness — Do we know if we're burned out? How do we come across?
Problem-solving — What is required to solve a problem? What do I need to do to identify and fix it?
Communicating — Consider the message, mindset and medium. You must develop the ability to communicate effectively.
1. Message — What is the message I want my boss to get?
2. Mindset — What do I want my boss to perceive? What do I want him or her to do? E.g., reduce the workload, change deliverables. Have options and choices for them to consider.
3. Medium — The medium you use is critical. A text or email will not convey information as effectively as personal communications.
Managerial Courage — Find opportunities to test your managerial courage. Speak up for the team. Share good news and bad news. As your managerial courage grows, you'll feel more comfortable speaking up.
Influencing Others — Build a relationship with them and build trust. People are willing to work with you because they trust you. It's about doing things for others without any expectation of someone doing something for you.
Priority Setting — Effectively set priorities. Too often, when you have too many priorities, they aren't aligned with what the company needs.
Planning – Plan the work, work the plan — How much time will it really take for a project? Consider interruptions and the number of days it will take. Track the actual vs. the estimated number of hours to complete a project.
Manage yourself — If you can't manage your own time, you will get burned out.
Expect the unexpected – 20% of your time is spent on things you don't think about, and every time we get interrupted, it takes 20 minutes to get back into the 'zone'.
Work-life balance — This is your responsibility. No one cares about your efforts as much as you should.

"Burnout can affect anyone, of any age, any gender or any position within a company," cautioned Ellwood. "It is stressful for everyone."

Instant Insights /

Here's what burnout looks like at work

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