The Relationship Between Weaknesses and Burnout
by Vic WIens
While stress from overwork is one trigger for burnout, the frustration that comes from the wrong kind of work can be just as significant a contributing factor. Markus Buckingham gives some very specific advice about how to minimize the wrong kind of work within our existing jobs, in his recent book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work.
To begin with, Buckingham believes that we should think of strengths as those work activities that make us feel strong and weaknesses as those work activities that make us feel weak, drained, and bored. Those work activities that make us feel weak can lead to burnout if left unchecked.
Here are some practical tips from Buckingham that will help you avoid burnout from the wrong kind of work.
1 Gradually reengineer your job so that at least 75% of your time is spent working within your strengths. The emotional energy you gain from doing these activities that capitalize on your strengths will give you the emotional energy you need to work at the activities that make you feel weak.
2. Box the “toxic” activities into defined time slots if at all possible. Make sure you have slotted them into times when you have peak energy to deal with them. This may be at the beginning of your day or later in the day when you have completed activities that give you more energy.
3. Volunteer mostly for activities that make you feel strong. Don’t assume that the tasks that make you feel weak do the same for others. Of course, everyone has to do some of the activities that make everyone feel weak.
4. Help your manager or boss understand how much more you could contribute to your business or organization if you could focus more time on your strengths.
5. If you are “the boss,” try to hire others who are strong where you are weak.
