Perspectives

Executive Burnout: An Opportunity for Self-Assessment

Curt Lucas

Managing Partner and Founding Chairman

As a holiday weekend approaches and many of us look forward to spending additional time with family and friends, I'm reminded that this is also a good time to reflect and ask important questions about what is most important to us, and how we are managing the many challenges in our lives.

Growing numbers of clinicians face professional burnout, according to a recent study from the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association, and healthcare executives are no different. They both face challenges emanating from escalating expectations for business and clinical performance, and pressures to do more with less. The following are some of the key topics identified by the many healthcare leaders I've met in recent years, as well as a series of questions to ask yourself based on their observations:

Balance: How much balance do you have in your life? Do you have enough time for everything that’s important to you? Must you choose between having a small amount of time for everything and adequate time for what’s important?

Time at work: Do you have the time and resources to accomplish your goals? Do you have enough time to fulfill every work responsibility? Do you invest extra hours and take work home to avoid cutting corners? Or, do you face a situation where no executive could adequately complete what’s expected in the time allotted?

Time away from work: Are you able to balance days, weeks and months of intense work with time to recuperate? Or, do you always feel “under the gun” with little or no time for recovery? Are you able to take vacations or long breaks? Do you find yourself frequently bringing work home, or are you able to relax during evenings and over weekends?

Sleep: Are you able to get enough sleep and rest? Are you able to sleep at least seven hours of sleep per night? Does travel impact your sleep quality and schedule, and, if so, are you able to make up for these factors before too long?

Impact: Do you feel like you're making a difference in other's lives as a healthcare executive? Do you see your role and position as important, inside the organization and in your community? Do you believe your work matters? 

Perception of success: Do you personally feel successful in your role as a healthcare executive? Do you feel you do a job that the majority of healthcare executives would take pride in, or do you sometimes wish you could perform better?

Recognition: To what extent do you feel valued and appreciated in your role as a healthcare executive? Do you feel recognized for your accomplishments and valued for your work? Are you getting the respect you think you deserve?

Sounding boards: Is there someone—a colleague, friend or family member—who will talk with you about work-related stresses? Do you have a network of people you can rely on for advice, and who appreciate your perspective on important matters?

Autonomy: Does your position offer you adequate autonomy to set direction and plan a course of action? Or, is most of your day planned by others and shaped by changing circumstances?

Mistakes: Are you able to make mistakes or perceived errors in judgment without feeling that you may face demotion or termination? Are you confident that the impact of a mistake will be preempted by well-designed processes, or understood in a larger context without irrational consequence?

Fairness:  Do you feel that colleagues, board members, physicians, the media and other opinion leaders treat you with respect and fairness? Do you feel you work on a "level playing field"?

Experience: How does your daily work experience compare to what you expected when you entered healthcare management? Are you continually reminded of why you chose healthcare leadership, or do you tend to feel that it’s just too late to change careers?

Compensation: Is your compensation, including salary, benefits and incentives, appropriate and competitive? Do you know how your compensation relates to that of peers?

Enthusiasm: Do you feel excited about coming to work and look forward to the day ahead? Is it sometimes difficult to get out of bed to face yet another day of work?

Productivity: How productive do you feel in your role? Do you feel that you typically accomplish a great deal at work? Are you accomplishing more or less than you should, given the time and effort you invest in work? 

Expectations: Do you know what you need to accomplish to succeed? Are expectations clearly spelled out or do you struggle to manage surprises, chaos and ambiguity? Do you find it difficult to discern what you need to do?

Advancement: Are there adequate opportunities for you to advance—either through a higher level position or through added responsibilities? Do career goals propel you forward and leave you feeling stuck with few or no options for advancement?

Satisfaction: How does you work as a healthcare executive make you feel? Do you feel motivated, stimulated and happy to be at work? 

Many healthcare executives experience frustrations at work; in fact, I'd say we all do. The best approach to a comprehensive review is to identify each area that might generate added stress. With support from a mentor or coach, you may be able to make strategic changes that will help you experience higher work satisfaction. Some of these changes will come in the form of clearer performance expectations, adjusted compensation or flexible scheduling. Others will come via planned lifestyle changes that will allow you to invest in self-care, new interests and relationships with family, friends and community.