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The Secret Life Of The Burned Out
June 2, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Topics: leadership, radio, DJs, vacation, burnout
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Summertime is here and hopefully that means taking a vacation sometime over the next three months. Imagine if this earned time off was spent untethered and unplugged to the office in order to unwind and recharge.
Yet, in radio, both consolidation and extra digital duties have squeezed more into people’s responsibilities. Some days there aren’t enough hours to accomplish everything you had hoped. Trying to prepare for a week’s vacation is time consuming and overwhelming for many.
BURNOUT IS HIDING
You’re probably working with multiple people who are hiding their burnout. Not to mention those who are candidly open and talk about theirs. I’m sure you know someone who fits into one of those scenarios, and it might be you. See if this sounds familiar.
One PD actually emailed me at 2a as they were trying to catch up. 2a!!!! Someone else shared with me that they actually prefer working on vacation because preparing to be gone is simply too overwhelming. That’s NOT the purpose of vacation.
SIGNS YOU’RE BURNED OUT
It’s not going to end well if you find yourself coming to work on edge, short tempered, and stuffing your anger. One day all of those emotions will rage out on someone; someone who probably doesn’t deserve it.
The only person you can control is you. Seek advice. Pour out your heart to a trustworthy boss. You may be faced with the incredible difficult decision to leave your current job and find another.
I wish I would’ve had the courage to leave a toxic and controlling environment. It cost me peace at work and more importantly at home. I tried to hide it, but I exuded the same toxicity that I despised. Even though I couldn’t see it at the time, and now looking back, I don’t even recognize the unhealthy person I had become.
HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY
This is for leaders to consider. Try your best to champion a “people first” culture. Work smarter and not harder. Overcomplicating the work environment will suck the life out of someone. Simplify. Remove a duty when adding a new one. You can’t just pile more onto people. They’ll eventually break. The end result for you will be losing your very best team members. The end result for them could be broken relationships, depression, and intense burnout.
Simon Sink said, “Invest in people, not ideas. A good idea is often destroyed by bad people, and good people can make a bad idea better.”
After spending 25+ years in radio, Todd launched a coaching and consulting business, Beyond615.com, on March 15, 2021. There he strives to help others build confidence so that they can connect on a deeper level. He also serves as the Contemporary Christian Format Editor at AllAccess.com. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.
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