3 Hard Perimeters To Put In Place STAT! To Avoid Burnout As A Leader
People who know me personally understand the one niche I coach in particular I am most passionate about is Executive / Leadership Burnout. I’ve been there, done that, own the ratty T-shirt, drank the Cool-Aid and now help others avoid or get past it.
I am loving all the conversation that last week’s viral post by a single CEO mom in California that was shared on Twitter. She is looking to hire a house manager/cook/nanny and her job description was over 1,000 words. The internet went wild and her job description went viral.
Comments ranged from ‘she needs a wife’ to ‘she is describing the job of a mom’ and varied from supporting to scathing. Me personally, I 100% get what this woman is looking for, because I did the same thing when I was ‘large and in charge’ of my own company. If I hadn’t, I would have never survived over 25 years in corporate America.
And this single, CEO Mom clearly knows what her responsibilities are to both her company and home. She is aware of her passions and limitations, plays to her strengths so she can carve out quality time with her children. She also knows that she must work within structured boundaries in order to still have a quality of life, spend time with her children, run the company, take care of her own health & wellness, socialize with friends and maybe even go on an occasional date! What a concept for a single mother.
If you are anything like her, it is imperative to incorporate perimeters into your life in order to maintain any semblance of balance. Feeling stretched too thin or fearing burnout is on the horizon (or you’re already there) for you? Here are three hard perimeters you should put in place STAT:
Create firm Time Blocks & Boundaries
While there is no such thing as ‘time management’, you can manage what you do in the time that you have each day. If you are not using a calendar to manage how you spend your time you put yourself at risk of dropping the ball. I calendar everything including my personal and self-care time. This includes gym, date night and the kid’s commitments along with everything work related.
I Color code! I personally use just 3; one for work calls and tasks, one for personal commitments and a third for all physical appointments that will have me ‘moving’ or ‘out’ of the office or home. This includes client meetings, gym time, supplier or partner meetings and even personal family commitments. At a glance I can see by color what my day has in store for me.
I use just ONE calendar – that syncs to all devices. If you are still using a ‘planner’ or ‘Day-Timer’ it is time to give up handheld and go high tech. In today’s world, we are so connected electronically that the paper planner will be obsolete very soon (if not already). It is easier, neater, can be shared and is more likely to have less human error than a paper calendar (think double booking, missing milestones, etc).
Lastly, by merging my personal and professional lives into one calendar it allowed me to place hard boundaries for family time and self-care time. Without those, I never would have made it 25 years at the pace I was going. Firm boundaries helped me manage home and work in tandem.
A time-blocking bonus:
Always check your calendar before the week begins, and again each night before settling in for the evening. This allows you to get a snapshot of your week and each day, so you know what to expect when you wake up.
Make self-care a priority
While all three of these are important, I cannot stress enough how important this one is!
Let’s face it, we only have so much fuel in our tank and when the tank is empty…. Everything suffers. My ‘tank’ is my ‘reserve’ of fuel and energy for me to manage all I do. If there’s nothing in my reserve, then I’ve nothing to ‘re-serve’ to others. By keeping my tank full, I have better energy and can go longer in the day, I handle stress better, I am cognitively clearer and am better able to handle unexpected situations thrown my way.
As an example of self-care, I block time in my schedule (hard boundary here!) for it. I kick-box, volunteer, am in a book club and go shelling & beach walking. I also occasionally splurge on tickets to concerts, plays and dinner with friends. All these things fill my reserve because I am passionate about them and they bring me joy. That is how you fill your tank! Do I make time for them every day? No, but I make sure they are scheduled and ON MY CALENDAR in my week or month.
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate!
Remember the CEO Mom at the beginning of this blog? She is delegating many of her tactile responsibilities and you should too! Surrounding yourself with support and talent that both fills in your performance gaps and increases your capacity.
When I owned my second company (and even after I sold it and went to work for Angel Investors flipping an under-performing company) I always had both employees whose skills filled in my performance gaps and had hired help at home. I was a single mom running the show and needed someone to be there when my son got home from school, run him to activities, get homework started, etc. This allowed me to come home and spend quality time with him, which was also part of my self-care. I delegated additional duties at home too, shopping, cooking, cleaning, even errands such as dry cleaning, repairs, etc.
Consider how it is best for you to utilize the finite time you have and what needs to get done. Enroll the family. A good friend. Delegate what is reasonable to have someone else do for you or hire the help to take it completely off your plate.
BONUS: Stop Being a Martyr! Even Wonder Woman Gets Tired
As women continue to make massive strides in the workforce and corporate world, we are all hanging onto old believe systems that no longer serve us in our new reality of being leaders. We cannot do it all. We must admit we can no longer run the home on our own AND be an effective leader. That responsibility must be shared if we are to continue to make strides in the corporate world.
And it’s OK to admit you are tired and need a break. Take it! You deserve it. Often. Again, this is another self-care, reserve-filling boundary which will allow you to stay on the top of your game at home and work.
Where you might get stuck:
There is no getting stuck here! You may not be aware you are out of balance until it too late. The higher up the corporate ladder you are the more important it is to be aware of your capacity. Women are more prone to burnout than men, and it is 100% up to us make sure we don’t because if you have a boss, he (or she) won’t.
Need more? Do you suspect you are struggling with your capacity and teetering on the brink of burnout? Are you curious if balance is even possible? I’ve a wonderful tool you can pick up HERE to see where your current capacity is and what you can do now to expand it along with three additional bonus tips to try.
Completely stuck? Let’s talk on my dime to figure out what you can do right now to get started.
A final share:
Did you read the article interviewing the CEO mom? Her viral job description and interview are what prompted me to write this blog for you. She ‘gets’ what is required to give her best to both her company and family, and takes the appropriate steps to make sure she stays on top of her game. What steps will you take today to make sure you stay at the top of your game?
ABOUT RACHELLE
Rachelle Stone is a 25+ year veteran of the Meeting & Convention Industry who, in 2014 left the industry to transition to full time Consulting & Executive Coaching after her own personal implosion. She now guides business owners and stressed out executives through the strategic steps needed to breakthrough plateaus and glass ceilings, accelerate their growth trajectory, increase profits, dominate in their market and reach their goals WITHOUT burning out.
BEFORE YOU GO
Want to stay in touch? You can join my mailing list here. I send just one monthly newsletter and post one blog a month only – who has time for all that? We are all busy!!! Easy consumption on your part and NO SPAMMING ever!
Are you a high performer that can’t say no and are fearing burnout? I love to coach high performers through the process of learning how to set boundaries and navigate the challenges of being a high achiever. Coaching provides you with an outside perspective, someone to hold you accountable to your goals & dreams, and gets you to the finish line quicker all while advocating for you to succeed. If you’re saying “YES! YES! YES!” to all of the above, then let’s take 30 minutes to speak ON MY DIME and see if I am the right match to support you in your current journey.
Did you find some useful gems in this blog? Let me know your thoughts by sending me a message at rachelle@rstoneconsulting.com
And if you are anything like I was and would rather be more like what I have become – someone who wants to do great things in your career while still loving life – I invite you to hop on over to my website and take a look around. There’s a really cool and quick assessment you can pick up for FREE which will help you determine your current state of capacity and balance right on the home page. Then let’s stay in touch!
