Member Article

Using positive psychology to beat burnout

Success in a world where burnout and stress are commonplace can be a daunting prospect. One study by the American Institute of Stress suggests that as many as one million people miss work per day due to burnout. As a result, aspiring business leaders are often put off from trying too hard to climb up the career ladder due to fear of being overwhelmed by the pressures.

Sustainable success can only come when individuals are passionately engaged and positively inspired by what they are doing, writes Jan Mühlfeit, former Chairman of Microsoft Europe, in his new book The Positive Leader: How Energy and Happiness Fuel Top-Performing Teams (published by FT Publishing). Stress is rooted in an obsession our world has with fixing weaknesses rather than building on strengths, to make successful leaders.

Burnout is undoubtedly a growing phenomenon the world over, writes Mühlfeit. Technology has made the world smaller, and our mobile devices keep us increasingly interconnected. The smartphone has evolved into a pocket-sized office, and even our watches are programmed to keep us constantly bridged with information, entertainment and communication at any given time.

As a result, our mindset has grown accustomed to the “have it now” mentality, a culture that is constantly tuned in, whose demands are shaped by the availability of everything, only a click away. This instant, 24/7 world gives us no chance to relax our minds or bodies, meaning we are often running on low battery with no opportunity to recharge.

The effects of burnout are real, says Mühlfeit. It has been estimated to be costing the global economy around 255 billion GBP annually due to factors like decreased productivity and compensation costs. The World Health Organization even predicts a stress burnout pandemic within a decade.

Job burnout is a special type of stress – a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work. It can not only impact an organisation’s costs, but also employee health and wellbeing. Research has linked burnout to many health conditions, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, sleep disturbances, and depression, as well as increased alcohol and drug use.

A 2013 ComPsych survey of more than 5,100 North American workers found that 62 per cent experienced high levels of stress, loss of control, and extreme fatigue. Due to its contagious nature, burnout can also lead to other problems in the workplace, including low morale, scapegoating, and increased office politics.

Mühlfeit, who worked at Microsoft for 22 years, was himself swept away by the chaos of the contemporary business world before he eventually crashed from exhaustion and wound up in a mental hospital diagnosed with clinical depression. Like many other burnt out professionals before him, he felt trapped by his own success and struggled to see a way out.

The solution for burnout and other modern leadership challenges lies in positive psychology. This relatively young scientific field offers hopeful guidance for out-of-balance leaders, and puts the spotlight on unlocking the full potential of our strengths and doing what we love, not slogging away on the areas where we can, at best, only be average. In conjunction, it encourages us to manage energy, rather than time, to enable a better work-life balance. Good energy management involves thinking more holistically and taking care of all four sources of human energy – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Positive psychology is the study of what fosters happiness, fulfilment, and optimal human functioning, as opposed to depression, disorder, and the other negatives of life which are the focus of traditional psychology. Through his leadership experiences, Mühlfeit learned that positive psychology is an enabler, and that by embracing it he could capitalise on people’s strengths and passions to help them thrive and excel.

“In an era of heightened global activity, increasing workloads and frenetic change, so many leaders are on a path to burnout and risk losing their teams along the way,” said Mühlfeit.

“The positive leadership approach is about giving leaders and their teams the tools they need to find greater purpose and enjoyment in their work, which in turn drives the results they want in the marketplace.

“It is possible to be both happy and successful, for leaders and their teams alike. Success doesn’t always have to come at a cost and leaders can accomplish wins across the board.”

Leadership depends just as much on the ‘being’ aspects of leading, such as mindset, character, and emotional intelligence, as it does on the ‘doing’ aspects – knowledge and actions. These factors, writes Mühlfeit, enable leaders to project authenticity and warmth, establish trust, build inspiration and shape a positive team culture.

For more information on The Positive Leader: How Energy and Happiness Fuel Top-Performing Teams by Jan Mühlfeit and Melina Costi, visit http://positiveleaderbook.com/

This title is available at all good bookshops and via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Platt .