Working It live: How to get ahead without burning out
Sep 24, 2024
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Dr. Audrey Tang, a psychologist and author of 'The Leader’s Guide to Resilience,' shares insights on leadership and burnout. She discusses how effective leaders manage pressure while modeling healthy behaviors. The conversation highlights the necessity of recognizing burnout signs, especially in men, and the importance of support in the workplace. Tang also addresses the unique challenges of remote work and emphasizes the balance between personal resilience and systemic changes for fostering a supportive environment.
Successful leaders model healthy behavior and openly share struggles, fostering a supportive culture to combat workplace stress and burnout.
Resilience involves both individual coping strategies and addressing organizational structures, promoting a sustainable work environment for long-term wellbeing.
Deep dives
Understanding Burnout
Burnout is characterized by emotional, physical, and social exhaustion primarily related to work, impairing one's ability to function effectively both personally and professionally. It is a serious condition that goes beyond simple stress, often requiring medical intervention when it escalates. The discussion clarifies that burnout can manifest similarly to stretching an elastic band to its limit, eventually leading to a state where the individual can no longer perform their tasks. Recognizing the signs of burnout in oneself and in colleagues is key to preventing it from becoming debilitating.
Promoting Supportive Leadership
Leaders are encouraged to seek assistance from mentors or peers rather than their families, who may not fully understand workplace dynamics. Studies indicate that leaders openly sharing their struggles and solutions can encourage their teams to seek help, creating a more supportive organizational culture. Modeling constructive behavior, such as vulnerability and open communication, sets a precedent within teams that can help reduce overall workplace stress. This creates a healthier environment where individuals feel safe to express their needs and seek support.
Building Resilience in the Workplace
Resilience is best understood not just as the ability to bounce back from adversity, but as a capacity to grow and thrive in response to challenges. Effective resilience training should involve not only individual coping strategies but also a focus on psychosocial safety, addressing structural issues within an organization that may contribute to stress. Individuals are urged to develop a personal toolkit of positive experiences to buffer against workplace stress while also recognizing the importance of addressing the professional environment's toxicity. By fostering resilience collectively, organizations can create a more sustainable work culture that supports long-term wellbeing.
Leaders are always under pressure – but the most successful ones know how to manage it. In this special episode, recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival in London on September 7, Isabel Berwick speaks to psychologist Dr Audrey Tang, who explains how managers can better resist the pressures of their work. Tang, author of books including ‘The Leader’s Guide to Resilience,’ tells Isabel about the importance of bosses modelling healthy behaviour, why skills (as opposed to strengths) can make workers unhappy, and how to know when a colleague is about to burn out.
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.