By Julie Adamen

Recently I conducted an electronic survey of management-company executives to find out how they handle burnout among their employees. The survey consisted of three simple questions:
 

1. What does you company do to address burnout in its managers?
2. What, if anything, would you like to be able to do to address burnout that you can't do at this time, and why? 
3. What do you feel is the primary source of burnout among your managers?

When the surveys came in, I was struck not by the actual answers given, but by the attitudes expressed in the answers. Basically, survey respondents could be placed in two categories: those who love what they do, and everyone else. 
 
The love-what-they-do crowd supplied lengthy answers about what they do to keep their employees from becoming burned out. They were creative (“We hope to have all our managers home-based by October”), enthusiastic (“I give two great parties a year, give free tickets to events, and have dinner and birthday celebrations”), open (“Senior management is very approachable”), aware of the needs of their employees (“We try to match the manager with the board, because if the manager truly feels that what they are doing is helpful and appreciated, it is rare that they will become burned out”), willing to take risks (“We give the managers the responsibility and authority to make decisions and act, then back them up”), and accommodating (“We provide a super–relaxed culture for all our employees”). Some of these respondents answered the survey not just the same day but within the same hour they received it—as if they couldn’t wait to tell the world about what they were doing. They had an enthusiasm for their businesses that literally jumped off the screen.
 
For others respondents, however, it seemed almost a chore to answer the questions, and when they did their responses were usually very short, with a palatable attitude of resignation.  It was as if they had given in to the negativity that permeates our industry. They recited the same litany of woes over and over, and offered few solutions or ideas (with the exception of “eliminate night meetings”). And it became painfully clear that they were implementing few programs, policies, or ideas to address burnout.

There was one consistent element among the negative responses. They were all in agreement about why they couldn’t do much to address burnout: not enough profit. This is indeed a nationwide issue. And every single CEO deals with that reality every day. But if my survey is any indication, there is an entire group of people who haven't been defeated by that reality. In fact, they have actively accepted it, and have consciously decided to attempt make their firms better for their managers. Their attitude shows they still have enthusiasm for their staff, their company, and their industry. They are the conquerors, not the conquered.
 
Attitude Awareness
Are you aware of your own attitude? Do you really understand how your frame of mind affects your employees, your clients, and your business? The fact is, your staff needs more to work than just desks, phones, and computers. They look to you to set the tone. So much of our industry is so negative and difficult that your staff doesn’t need more negativity from you. If you’re resigned and downtrodden, your employees will not only follow suit, they’ll follow each other right out the door. By contrast, if you’re upbeat, enthusiastic about what you do, attentive to the needs of your staff, and are willing to try new things to address old problems, then your employees will follow you wherever you take them.
 
Having and projecting enthusiasm won’t stop turnover or burnout, but it may very well put a tourniquet on it. CEOs who love what they do understand that turnover in employees directly affects profitability, and are fighting it with every creative bone in their bodies—despite the fact that “boards won’t pay for it.”  They know if they do nothing, they’ll be the ones who ultimately pay. 
 
In this business, attitude can make or break you. I’ll put it this way: Which one of these executives you would prefer to work for:
 
“We are doing everything I know of to address burnout (including firing clients with attitude problems, giving three weeks paid vacation per year, having an open door policy), but we, too, are still learning.”
 
Or this one:
 
“Is this really a problem? If we paid more to these people would this really matter?”
 
It’s a no-brainer.

Note: This article was written by Julie Adamen originally for and published in by CAI National on CEO Insights May/June 2004 Web site.