The third in our three-part series looks at lessons from successful people who have bounced back from burnout.

Burnout doesn’t have to be an inevitable rite of passage for high performers. So says leadership researcher Nick Petrie, who, as part of his own journey to recover from a devastating bout with burnout, has made it his mission to study the phenomenon – what it is and, more importantly, how to prevent it.

Speaking at a webinar recently hosted by The Inzito Partnership / AltoPartners UK, Petrie said that having assessed over 1,000 high performers as part of the Perform / Grow / Thrive Project, he noticed that despite the pattern of burnout risk being very high across all organisations, a small percentage of that population consistently scored extremely low on burnout risk.

“This intrigued me. What are these people doing differently than everyone else in their organisation? Did they just not care as much? Or was there something else going on? So, we asked them. And over a series of interviews, I noticed that they were all doing the same things, and I thought this is interesting!”

1. When they are at work, they work hard!

What Nick and his colleagues learned was that these individuals were not somehow luckier or less disposed to stress than their colleagues. Nor were they in any way less committed to their work or their careers. They were all doing big jobs at senior levels.

“Their solution was not to back off - it wasn’t that linear. These were hard-working, high-performers, and when they were at work, they worked hard,” says Petrie.

2. They had reflected deeply on the best/ worst ways to live and work.

Without exception, Petrie’s team found that these ‘thrivers’ had all, at some stage, worked in unhealthy ways in the past.

“They had all suffered burnout or been on the brink of it, which had led them to reflect deeply on the way they worked. They had come to the conclusion that it was not sustainable and had developed a set of four to five personal rules about how they would and wouldn’t work.”

Not only were they very intentional about maintaining these, but they could also articulate them clearly.

3. They made peace with not getting everything done.

“Whereas previously they’d prided themselves on completing everything on their to-do list, now they were much better at prioritising and focusing on what’s possible, which is a vital skill as you get into bigger jobs. They adopted the view that the tasks would be there in the morning when they would tackle them again, refreshed and not wrung out and exhausted from working all night. This is about coming to terms with the fact that the work will always be there.”

4. All had a ritual to transition from work mode to personal mode

This is easier said than done, especially for recovering workaholics, which is probably why all interviewees reported developing very specific end-of-day rituals to take them from work to personal mode. “For some, it’s the commute – a time to switch off from work, listen to music or read a book. Others ran through a checklist at their desk before packing up; some mentally stowed their superhero costumes for the night. With more of us working from home, shutdown rituals are critical to prevent that ‘always-on’ feeling that is so conducive to burnout.”

Petrie says it is important to identify (or create) an end-of-day ritual - and then honour it.

“Most people can’t do that - they just sort of show up and they meet the demand. But this group was very clear about the way they’d work and the way they wouldn’t. And they were very disciplined about sticking to their new approach.”

5. They created clear boundaries between work and home

All those interviewed described moments when they realised that their work life had finally subsumed them and that their work habits were not just unhealthy, they were unsustainable.

The solution: Establish clear rules of engagement regarding when, where, and under what circumstances work takes centre stage.

“It’s not always possible to draw firm lines. There are bosses, and clients and markets in different time zones, so they had to learn to manage those demands without letting it derail their evenings. Some went back to the office to take calls, others carved out an hour here and there, but all were clear: if they were not actively working, they were not thinking about it.”

6. They grew into a multi-faceted person

Putting boundaries in place also gave them the time and space to become more multidimensional, to create an “opposite world.”

“My favourite example is from an executive who said after he burned out, he got into Argentinian tango. And the reason is that in Argentinian tango, you must be in your heart, and you must be in your body, which is the opposite of the place he is during his workday.

“He’d go along in the evenings and be completely absorbed in the tango. His work world would disappear, and he felt recharged. He told me, ‘No one cares about how much money you make, what your title is, who you work for, all that matters is can you dance?’”

Opposite worlds come in many forms. Petrie’s interviewees included weekend martial artists, farmers, beekeepers, chefs, surfers, musicians, quilters, and volunteers.

.7 They developed a phone strategy

Everyone had a very clear phone strategy. If you are always checking emails, it’s impossible to switch off from work. To break that dependency, all of them reported placing their phone down in a very conscious and deliberate way.

“It went somewhere specific. It wasn’t in their pocket. It wasn’t on the bench. It either went in a drawer in their bedroom, or it went in their bag, and they didn’t look at it again until they needed to, or at all. It’s not about being unavailable. People around them know they will answer phone calls and respond to text messages, but they will not be looking at emails. This one thing alone has made an enormous difference to their energy levels. If you can’t tell me what you do with your phone when you leave work, then you don’t have a phone strategy.”

8. They learned to keep work in perspective

“For many, a key moment was watching colleagues whose identity was tied to their company or career get laid off. And how these people were destroyed because their identity disappeared along with their jobs. They have learned to differentiate and get some distance. Sure, they work hard, they have a career, they care about it, but they are not as tied to it as they used to be.”

Based on the insights from Nick’s research, here are some of the best ways to prevent burnout:

1. Assess your work mode balance - are you spending too much time in “perform” mode vs “grow” mode? Try to find the right balance.

2. Identify your early warning signs of burnout - things like chronic exhaustion, loss of motivation, cynicism. Be aware of these and have a plan to address them.

3. Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life - create rituals to transition in and out of “work mode”, like a commute or dedicated workspace. Limit after-hours work.

4. Develop an “opposite world” - find activities completely different from your work that you’re passionate about. This helps you recharge.

5. Be intentional about phone/email habits - have a strategy for when and how you’ll use devices after work hours.

6. Maintain a multidimensional identity—don’t let your work or career be your sole source of identity. Cultivate other interests and roles.

7. Engage in deep self-reflection - understand what drives your strong work ethic and how it may be leading to burnout. Make conscious changes.

READ

Part one: Burnout - what causes it and how to deal with it

Part two: How leadership can tackle burnout