Jennifer Moss, an award-winning journalist and author focused on workplace well-being, discusses the pervasive issue of burnout and its misconceptions. She emphasizes that self-care alone won’t solve burnout and highlights the power of curiosity and empathy in leadership. By fostering genuine conversations, like asking for highs and lows, leaders can better understand their teams. Additionally, Moss advocates for healthy dissent to combat confirmation bias and build trust through vulnerability, crucial for creating a supportive and effective workplace.
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Burnout Definition
Burnout is workplace stress left unmanaged, according to the World Health Organization.
It's characterized by disengagement, exhaustion, and cynicism.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Self-Care Isn't Enough
Self-care alone won't cure burnout, especially in unhealthy work environments.
Address organizational issues like overwork and lack of support for true change.
insights INSIGHT
Empathy's Role
Empathy is a crucial leadership skill for reducing burnout.
Leaders must understand what motivates and harms employees' sense of purpose.
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Jennifer Moss: The Burnout Epidemic
Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist, author, and international public speaker. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist, reporting on topics related to happiness and workplace well-being. She is also a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in HuffPost, Forbes, the Society for Human Resource Management, Fortune, and Harvard Business Review.
Jennifer’s prior book, Unlocking Happiness at Work, received the distinguished UK Business Book of the Year Award. She also sits on the Global Happiness Council. She is the author of The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It*.
In this conversation, Jennifer and I explore a few misconceptions about burnout — and also how curiosity and empathy can help to reduce it. We discuss a few key questions leaders can ask to gain insight on how to help. Plus, we detail how to avoid confirmation bias through generic interactions.
Key Points
Self-care doesn’t cure burnout.
Curiosity increases empathy — and empathy from leaders is a fabulous antidote to burnout.
There are two kinds of curiosity, epistemic and perceptual. True empathy comes from a focus on epistemic interactions.
Go beyond the generic, “How are you?” and instead get more specific with a request like, “Name a high — and a low.” Doing these with a team can help surface how to help.
Assume the best. It’s ok to say, “Thank you for sharing this with me. I don’t have any advice. I just want to listen and learn.”
Resources Mentioned
The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It* by Jennifer Moss
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
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