3 Key Factors to Move Forward From Burnout In Your Teams
The thought of adding another program or thing to do in an organization can feel daunting. I’ve heard this from a few client prospects lately. They might be interested in moving forward to help the burnout problem in their organization, but the thought of adding one more thing can feel like it might create or perpetuate burnout if it isn’t done the right way.
As I was thinking about this, I stepped back to think through the drivers for change in patients I worked with on the Health Coaching side of things and the drivers for change in organizations I’ve worked with where they want to create healthy culture.
As I was thinking about this and putting myself back in my PA shoes, I remember the times when we had to do mandatory trainings and feeling like they were cumbersome and kind of a waste of time.
So why then would anyone subject their organization to training if they feel like it would not make the impact they want it to make?
Here’s what I came up with.
There is a vast difference between training and development.
Training is gaining knowledge or wisdom on a topic.
Development on the other hand means growth or advancement (in very basic terms).
People are tired of trainings… what they want is development. They want to get better in some way. They want opportunities for advancement.
I realized that the way you present something really matters. I did a lecture at a local PA school recently and when I was presenting on the topic of burnout at first, the engagement was low. These students have heard so much about burnout that I think they were happy to tune me out!
But, when I got to the topic of leadership and how they are leading their patients, staff and peers and that they are learning how to be leaders worth following now during rotations… they perked up. We started that discussion with characteristics of leaders they wanted to follow (leaders that were more like mentors or coaches) and leaders they had to follow (leaders that they did not want to emulate).
This. Got. Their. Attention.
When you set the tone of what it might look like to be on the other side of you… things can change. You start to be more aware of how you are showing up. You start to be a bit more intentional. But, what can happen is that without consistency, we go back to our old ways.
This brings me to the first key thing you need to be successful if you want change to happen in your organization:
Tip #1: Consistency
For any real change to occur, there needs to be consistency with the system in which you are using to create that change. One off webinars, trainings or classes do not create sustainable change. I equate this to the times when I would see patients in the office and they would ask me about weight loss. I would explain the latest research on tips to lose weight and maybe give them a handout on foods to eat or exercise recommendations.
You know how many people came back to me feeling confident and getting the results they wanted?
Zero.
I was doing them such a disservice by giving them these mini handouts and research. None of that helped them really.
But, when I became a Health/Wellness coach and they met with me weekly or biweekly, I started to see change. Those that participated in those groups – 60% had some weight loss or some change in their medication after 6 months.
Consistency wasn’t the only thing that helped though.
Tip #2 The Right Tools
Remember how I said I would give them a little handout with diet and exercise tips? Yeah, I did that. Was it helpful? No. You know why? It wasn’t tailored to them.
I was giving a blanket fix for something that was an individual solution. No 2 people are exactly the same so it makes sense that each individual needs something specific for them to be successful.
It’s the same in organizations. If you don’t have the right tools with the right people involved, you won’t get the overall solution that you need. If you have the right people involved, the right tools and momentum… things can shift pretty radically pretty quickly.
Tools are essential. Vision is critical. Without these things, people can feel like you are just adding something on that doesn’t really matter to them.
Setting the tone for what you want is crucial. Even more than that, setting the tone for how it can benefit each person can create an increase in engagement around development, thus increasing the effort for change to happen and for it to be sustainable.
Tip #3: Accountability
This one is like icing on the cake. So you have tools and consistency… and if you add accountability… boom. You can create change.
Tools + Consistency + Accountability = Change
I added that for the math brained folks.
Accountability toward the next steps to be taken increases the likelihood of things actually changing. This goes for any behavior change or change as an organization.
When people know that other people are checking in on them, they are more likely to complete a task they say they want to complete. It’s human nature. We are wired to not want to let others down.
Tip #4: Momentum
Surprise… here is an extra tip. A bonus if you will. The last tip here is creating momentum. It is pointing out the vision and then getting several people on board moving toward that vision. If you do this, momentum occurs and you get people all at once headed in the same direction. Of course this can get tricky and things can backslide after a period of time, but that is actually normal. It is normal for things to go up and down a bit when you are making changes.
The likelihood of things actually continuing in the right direction with multiple people on board increases though… that’s why I threw this tip in. If you give people, tools, consistency and accountability along with creating the momentum you want toward a vision that is compelling… you will create massive traction toward a culture that is healthy instead of burned out. I created a 4 phase approach to tackling burnout and wrote an article about it if you want to take a look at that.
If you are looking to take the next step and find out if strategic people development is for your organization or team, book a call with me. It’s free and it just gives me a chance to get to know you and see if we are a right fit for each other. You can book that call here.