How do you avoid burnout syndrome as you become a leader in your industry?

The first thing that comes to mind here is to be clear about what feeds your soul. Yes, we all need things that feed our bank account, pay the mortgage, and support our families and a comfortable life. But if you keep that separate from what feeds your soul, you will be in trouble. Burnout syndrome can happen for many reasons, but certainly two significant ones are: 

1. because you forgot to keep some kind of balance in your life, so that life becomes mostly, if not completely, about work
    
2. because you lost touch with what feeds your soul.

Let’s look at the second one first. In order for anything to be sustainable, it must have meaning. So you must feel a connection with the industry and/or company and what it stands for. It must mean something to you. Their mission and your personal soul mission or life purpose as well as your values—what is truly important to you—must be in alignment.

If not, then your leadership in that industry will, in time, become just a job—something you do to collect a paycheck. Dan Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind, makes it very clear that the research tells us, in the long run, money is not what keeps us motivated. We remain motivated because we care about something—it means something to us. 

So in order to avoid burnout syndrome, you must stay in touch with what your leadership work and the particular industry mean to you. You have to know why you are there—from your soul.

And then there is balance. When you are passionate about something, it can be challenging to keep a balance between it and the rest of your life—family, friends, health, fun, spirituality, a hobby. Having a balance in your life provides breathing space. It provides you with other things to focus on besides your work. It means you have a life, not just a career.

Having a life is important. Relationships are important. Without them, at some point, our work becomes all about producing a result, and the result can easily get separated from why you are doing this in the first place. If you love your work, having time and space away from it can stop you from burnout syndrome and make you eager to get back to work. And that’s a good thing.

Our bodies are human. Our energy systems are human. They need rest, rejuvenation, inspiration, and fun. Balance is a key.

So that’s two important things to keep in mind to protect you from burnout syndrome— keep your soul engaged and keep a balance in your life.