Jason Buffington .com

video transcript

Let’s talk about Burnout!

In the disaster recovery or cyber worlds, there is a recognition that, when the bad thing happens, you’re going to have several really rough days. They might be 16-hour days in the data center, sleeping under your desks, bad food, limited showers, you get the idea. If it’s a natural disaster, you might be asked to help the business get up and running while your home is underwater or without power.

Seasoned recovery leaders know you have to take care of your people. Maybe that’s sending somebody else to your house or maybe it’s making sure that you have cots and toiletries so that those valiant warriors who are going to help the business eventually recover can themselves persist.

I could go on but, that’s not our greatest risk.

The greater risk and one that’s more universally applicable is the stress and burnout that comes from the super-heroics every day. There will always be bursts of activity, but …

I was talking with a fractional CMO and they were talking about being contracted for two days a week but there’s 40 hours a week of stuff to be done. It is all the right things, but they’re not getting paid for 40, they’re getting paid for 16. You don’t want to let down the client, but if you’re engaged as a fractional leader, it’s because:

• You have other fractional clients that also need your time, or
• Because you’re working on work life balance and shouldn’t work 60 hours a week right now.

I’ve got a fractional CFO buddy of mine, I’ve been trying to taking lunch for three months. Every time, the text threads all say “yeah we’re on” until the day before … then “Yeah got to push it off again. Something’s come up”

Fractionals aren’t the only ones that are struggling.

Talked with the buddy in a new job for about two years. He said “After one of my team members left, they didn’t reopen the slot. They won’t let me hire anybody, but the work still has to be done”. He said “I don’t remember the last time that I didn’t work 60 hours a week”

I told him that at some point, he’s going to have to let something break. Because for the last year, he’s proven they don’t have to hire anybody because the work is still getting done. That can be scary, even when you warn them what activities are at risk and everyone says they understand.

Do you risk the black eye of letting some things drop because you shouldn’t be working 60 hours a week year-round. Or do you suck it up because the lack of work life balance having a job is better than the stress of not having a job?

Part 2 of this podcast (with some answers) drops from my data protection matters on LinkedIn or the Two Minute Mondays .com archive (HERE).

See you next Monday