Surfing the Waves

by Shawn Jacqueline Bohen
(Reading time: Less than 4 minutes)

Burnout. I hear that word a lot these days. It is a persistent theme in my conversations.

For nonprofits especially, where the work is generally in support of our most vulnerable populations — those who are experiencing the greatest impact of today’s turmoil — the work has never felt more urgent and unending.

As a leader, it’s critical to surf these waves of uncertainty so that you and your people are not overwhelmed, underwater, and burned out.

There are no easy answers. Some things, however, to consider…

Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

You can’t help others if you are struggling; this is a marathon, not a sprint. Are you getting enough sleep, exercise, nutrition, sustenance?

Are you experiencing joy? Spring’s arrival is exquisite and offers the opportunity to focus on renewal and nourishment while helping us reconnect with the earth and those who steady, nurture, and inspire us.

Remember that your teams are watching — what you do matters at least as much as what you say. If you encourage time away from work but insist on responding to email at night, on the weekends, or while on vacation (you are still taking those, right?), you are not walking your talk.

As a leader, your example has outsized impact. To be experienced as authentic and human, you must model the behavior you encourage in others.

Management Needs to Go Slow to Go Fast

When everything feels urgent, it’s hard to discern what’s actually important and it’s easy to confuse activity with accomplishment.

When we slow down, pause, and step back, we can regain clarity on what actually matters. Then we are able to regroup, make better decisions, and take more fruitful (and fewer) actions.

Your teams need clarity about which activities actually make a difference. In times of uncertainty, management may need to recalibrate with more frequency than ever before.

Deciding to do less with less creates the possibility of restoration for your people, shifting everyone towards meaningful and fulfilling (and not exhausting) accomplishment.

Structure the Change You Seek

Structural changes won’t work unless you and your management team attend to the two items above.

In these times (maybe always), workplaces need to be experienced as more human, and these changes can be structured into the rhythm and calendars of your organization, thereby benefiting all of your people.

Create the space and give permission for people to talk about what’s going on. Are they sleeping, laughing, exercising? How are they feeling? How are their families coping? Integrate sensory practices into the start of meetings. (It literally takes just two minutes to have everyone practice mindfulness using one of the five senses.)

Sharing your own experience and fallibilities, and naming what we are all enduring, goes a long way. As does checking in authentically and regularly with your people. There is no such thing as over-communicating in times of uncertainty and distress.

Remember, too, that not everyone has access to the same time or resources (financial and otherwise). Suggesting to the struggling single mom in your organization that she treat herself to a spa weekend is beyond impractical — it is tone-deaf.

Above all, practice active listening. As Alan Alda said, “To truly listen is to allow yourself to be changed by what you hear.”

There Are No Best Practices

These days truly are unprecedented — in my lifetime anyway. There is no one-size-fits-all, pat formula for leading through this difficult time.

We are all experimenting with an evolving canon of successful strategies, none of which are completely tested or fully cooked.