Exhausted? 3 Ideas for Making Change

Leadership Coaching Notes FEBRUARY 2011

Exhausted? 3 Ideas for Making a Change

Do you feel like Sisyphus, the king who Zeus condemned to push a giant boulder up a hill for all eternity? You recall it rolled to the bottom before he reached the top so he never experienced success.

I’ve heard leaders say, usually in private, that they experience similar overwhelm and dread. They face way too many “priorities” and fires to fight. They work in organizations that typically reward their successes with bigger “stretch” goals the following year.

If exhaustion is familiar to you, consider 3 modern approaches that many leaders overlook when facing their Sisyphean tasks. They can help to ease your way.

Get a Workout Partner: Those who hate going to the gym often contract with a workout partner to both cheer them on when the work is most challenging and give them a hard time when they start to slack off. They make their workout “rock” easier and even fun, with company.

How often do you think you are the only one who can accomplish your work? How often do you say “no” for others before you’ve even asked for their assistance? These 2 common mistakes contribute to the exhaustion of leaders I’ve met, including me.

Consider giving others the gift of letting them assist you. Most people derive a lot of pleasure from doing something helpful and knowing they make a difference. How might you lighten your load by asking for and accepting that others might truly be happy to pitch in? Ask for one thing today.

Organize a Roll-a-thon: Imagine if Sisyphus had organized others to donate towards a great cause for each foot he rolled the boulder. Whether it’s a “Walk for the Cure” or “Hoops for Hope,” people find it energizing to support a great cause with their time, talents and money. If Sisyphus had looked beyond his immediate challenge and had re-defined it so he focused on how his work created value for someone, his experience could have been different. Task stays the same, but motivation and fulfillment shift.

OK, you won’t enroll many to pay you for each workday you complete, but you can focus yourself and others on the benefits of activities you must finish. (If you can’t, why are you doing them?) You can make filing reports easier when you remember how they help achieve a higher purpose, e.g., getting reimbursed for expenses or assuring others have career-building feedback during their reviews. Keep the “why” behind each activity in front of your people and yourself. Notice what shifts.

Smell the Roses: Each time the rock rolled downhill, Sisyphus also walked down before starting his work again. I wonder if he thought to enjoy that walk, temporary as it was.

AA senior leader I worked with traveled extensively. When he was at home, he was pre-occupied with emails, calls and work … until he was blessed by a tornado. (True story.) Since lying over his kids to protect them as the “train” passed and the glass shattered in the next room, he now prioritizes smelling the roses. He still travels extensively, but when at home, he invests 100% in making the most of it.

When you are on the hamster wheel of activity and stressed, stopping may seem impossible. It isn’t. Periodic, renewing breaks as simple as enjoying lunch away from your desk make a big difference in your ability to enjoy and do your best. Buy a rose and keep it nearby this week. Let it remind you to stop and enjoy all the times you can re- fuel.

What’s Next?

If you or leaders you work with are too tired too much of the time, these whimsically presented, but substantive ideas aren’t a complete solution for you. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you, explore your situation and learn how I might help ease your way. You deserve to feel and be at your best, often! A 20-minute call is free and has no obligation.

What do you think? Will you share your ideas about how you recharge and ease the load everyone quickly encourages you to carry?

Please send them to mkimbell@corporateadventure.com and I’ll pass them on.

All the best,

Meredith Kimbell
Executive Advisor,
Strategy Consultant Corporate Adventure

Leadership Coaching Notes uses real or composite client examples drawn from 25 years of coaching and consulting with leaders committed to solving their toughest personal, interpersonal and organizational issues.
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is copyrighted by Meredith Kimbell © 2011. All rights reserved. You may reprint any or all of this material if you include the following:
“Leadership Coaching Notes © 2011 Meredith Kimbell, Corporate Adventure, Reston, VA. Used with permission.”