If there were a contagious condition (other than “that one”) that could take you out as an entrepreneur or business owner and short-circuit your future success, would you want to know about it?
The condition is burnout, and the dominant work habits of our culture have made it more prevalent than ever.
But you don’t have to be a victim!
Here are the final two of six steps you can take to “burnout-proof” your business, based on over 30 years of research.
—
⚖️ 5) Double-down on FAIRNESS.
Fairness is about everyone having an equal shot at opportunity and advancement, and if you’re in a position of leadership you have the ability to make sure each person on your team is treated fairly.
But what can you do for yourself?
Since we can’t control the market, the economy or the actions of people beyond our authority, perhaps the best thing leaders and entrepreneurs can do to keep from feeling they’re being treated “unfairly” is to re-orient our perspective.
If you believe someone else had an easier time getting where they are than you did, it may feel unfair.
However, when you re-orient your perspective to remember there is SO much of their “struggle story” you haven’t heard, it helps lessen the feeling of disparity.
If you believe you’ve put in a huge amount of effort but have only gotten a small amount of return, it may feel unfair.
However, when you re-orient your perspective to be “radically honest” with yourself about how hard you actually worked (was it really as hard as you could, or did you let a few things coast?), that honesty can lessen the feeling of unfairness.
You can’t control the actions other people take or the results they get, but you CAN control how you choose to think about them, and what actions you take yourself.
The more you invest in cultivating a healthy mindset, the less chance unfairness (perceived or real) will have to burn you out.
—
🤔 6) Make sure your work is aligned with your VALUES.
While most people in the 19th and 20th century viewed work as simply an economic necessity, both ancient thinkers and many contemporary theorists agree that work can be so much more than merely a way to make a living.
It can be a way to make a life.
One of the greatest causes of burnout is when people feel a disconnect between the work they DO and the results they VALUE.
The answer is to connect your work to a deeper purpose that matters to you.
This could mean stepping up to a higher standard of social or environmental responsibility, devoting a portion of your profits to a worthy cause, or re-orienting your work habits and culture in ways that promote a healthier work/life balance.
At an even deeper level, it could mean changing not WHAT you do, but the WAY you do it, meeting human needs in more human ways.
The bottom line is this: when you’re willing to take a step back and take a step up to a better way of business, it can have a profound impact on not just what you do, but on who you are.
And burnout won’t stand a chance.
—
// WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What are some ways you’ve found to create a greater sense of fairness in your work and/or to align your work with values that matter to you?
—
// BY THE WAY… If you’d like some help clarifying any of these items and developing a rock-solid strategy to help you and your team apply them, I’m here to help.
Visit https://phillipgonzales.com/call to book a free Strategy Session and we’ll figure out the best ways to help you start getting results FAST.
—
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash