chickenpox, strep throat or professional burnout? cynthia seelhammer deputy city manager city of...
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Chickenpox, Strep Throat or Professional Burnout?
Cynthia SeelhammerDeputy City Manager
City of Phoenix
Charlie McClendonCity Manager
City of Avondale
Huey LongCity ManagerCity of Safford
Staying Motivated
What is Motivation?
• Internal state or condition that activates behavior & gives it direction
• Desire or want that energizes & directs goal-oriented behavior
• Influence of needs & desires on the intensity & direction of behavior
What Causes a Loss of Motivation?
• Feeling unappreciated
• Routine or uninteresting work
• Personal problems
• Overwhelming issues
• Too many personnel issues
• Loss of a key staff person
Things to Avoid
• Drowning in self pity– Give yourself an hour then move on
• Destructive behaviors– We each have our favorite
• Inertia & inaction
• Over analyzing the situation
• Turning on others – or turning to gossip
What are Some Motivators?
• Advancing in an organization provides recognition, which is a powerful motivating force
• Developing ideas– Creativity is a natural self motivator
• Adventure– Exploring provides a high-powered learning
environment
• Seeking continual change & adapting to it
Motivating Myself
• Take advantage of my support group
• Reward & recognize myself
• Shake up my surroundings
• Take a vacation
• Envision advancement and recognition
• Motivate myself by paying attention to the needs of others
• Develop a plan to address the problem – whatever it is
Keeping Your Staff Motivated
Why Bother to Motivate?
• People who are motivated & happy at work will accomplish more, perform better, build positive relationships with others & encourage others to do the same.
• People who are motivated are engaged in their work & spend their energy accomplishing positive results.
Motivation Advice & Ideas• Motivate yourself
– You should be modeling the behavior & attitude you expect from staff
• Do simple things often – provide recognition & praise – Give constant positive feedback/recognition when deserved
• Be “future-oriented” – Don’t dwell on past problems– Fix the problem, don’t blame & know when to move on
• Display optimism– Show people where the organization is going, what you want to
become & identify benchmarks– Show people what is possible
Recognize Differences
• People are individuals & motivations are different for each person
• Get to know the individuals in your organization
• Recognize & respect the differences – What motivates one person may not motivate another
• Take the time to learn the dreams & ambitions of people– Help them get there
Environment versus Work
• WORK: Sometimes you can change the work, providing new experiences & new opportunities
– Consider job rotation, cross training, temporary assignments
• ENVIRONMENT: If you can’t change the work, you can probably change the environment
– Remember, the salary is seldom the number one reason people choose to stay in a job or choose to leave a job.
– Other factors may be more important
Changes to the Work Environment
• Job sharing• Flex hours• Telecommuting• Reward programs• Family-friendly policies• Celebrate success• Humor• FISH• Thank-you notes• Congratulation notes• Copies of photos• Publish stories
• In the past some of these options have been hard to implement in the public sector.– Perception of special
treatment
• In today’s job market we are all competing for the same scarce talent & some of these flexible options are now the norm in the private sector.
Alternatives to Monetary Motivation
• What motivates people other than money?
– Recognition– Time off– Involvement in decisions– Promotions– Freedom– Education– Growth– Fun
What Motivates You?
• Secretary: “Being included so that I know what is going on. Having a personal connection with those I work with. Building positive relationships. Having my work acknowledged.”
• Technical experts: “Freedom to do my projects the way I want to, but knowing I am always able to go to my manager to bounce ideas around or ask advice.”
• “The variety of projects so that it never gets boring. I can always move from one project to the other and switch my focus.”
What Motivates You?
• Management Assistant: “I know I can completely change jobs or take on a special project if I want to, all I have to do is ask. I know I am not expected to die in the harness doing the exact same thing for many years. I know I will have opportunities.”
• Department Manager: “Flexibility so I can be with
my family when I need to be, and work a modified schedule when I need to. A culture where my ideas are welcomed and taken seriously. Opportunities for training or learning.”
BurnoutA Professional Reality
Burnout – A Professional Reality!
• Professional burnout (PBO) is a serious problem
– It can cause executives & families great unhappiness & emotional pain
– It can impair judgment and put their business and career at risk
• PBO is not as easy to spot as chickenpox or strep throat, but it is quite common
Burnout – A Professional Reality!
• A significant percentage of executives will suffer an episode of PBO at some point in their careers.
• City management types are a hardy, hard-working group.– They have to be in order to get to where they are
today
• Some executives find themselves unable to function or, perhaps even worse, are able to function but in a compromised manner that places themselves or their organization in harms way!
Contributing Factors to PBO
• High stress
• Loss of control– personal or career
• Political change
• Staff upsizing & downsizing
• Economic conditions– prosperity – poverty
• Changing behavior to meet political criteria
• Relentless & unforgiving daily demands
• Business conditions & competitive factors
Contributing Factors to PBO
• Pursue high-level business educational success
• Executive trying to do too much– Perfectionism
• Not willing to define your limitations– Superman Complex
• Your leadership role– Being a leader exacts a price
Note:
Maintaining a
powerful family & support
mechanism can be
one of your best
anti-burnout
strategies.
Signs of Burnout• Chronic fatigue –
exhaustion, tiredness & physically rundown
• Anger at those making demands
• Self-criticism for putting up with demands
• Cynicism, negativity & irritability
• Exploding at inconsequential things, frequent headaches, & gastrointestinal disturbances
• Weight loss or gain
• Sleeplessness & depression
• Shortness of breath
• Suspiciousness
• Feelings of helplessness
• Lack of accomplishment
• Increased degree of risk-taking
Conquering Change
• Managing the stress of change to prevent PBO
– Exercise– Eat right– Create change coping mechanism– Create your plan for change– Know when to get help
Audience Interaction
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