How Good People Can Burn Out in Good Organizations

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In the fast-changing world, even highly capable and successful people can feel that a job that once was a great fit has become a source of constant stress. Increasingly, we’re all facing the reality that even good people can burn out in good organizations. How can this happen, and what can you do about it?

While it’s tempting to point to one particular cause for burnout, we’ve learned over the years that there’s always more to the story of any trend. That’s why we’re digging deeper with returning guest, Cait Donovan, the day after the launch of her book  “Mismatch: Why Good People Can Burn Out in Good Organizations.” She’s a globally recognized keynote speaker, burnout expert, and one of the leading voices on burnout-informed leadership. Her top podcast FRIED has had over a million downloads.

During our conversation, Cait shares why burnout isn’t the fault of an individual or an organization. In the fast-changing world, circumstances can change in a heartbeat. This means that successful people at every level of an organization can find themselves in what Cait calls a “Golden Cage.”  Your situation may be a “match” on paper but you can still experience burnout, sometimes without recognizing it. Why? Cait shares that this “mismatch” comes not from any one cause. Instead, look to the interrelated issues that Cait calls  “The Web of Causation.”

We bring these concepts to life through a story Cait shares about a successful CEO who was experiencing severe burnout as his company continued to grow. We discuss the moral of the story, the surprising lesson the CEO learned about his feeling of mismatch, and how he was able to restore his feeling of match while remaining in his role.

Finally, we discuss three immediately useful ways for recognizing any mismatches in your own life, and how discovering where we each have the ability to personally make changes that can lead to a feeling of match, even in a fast-changing world.

“We’re never going to fully move beyond mismatch. If you’re going to go for more match in your world, go for  “pretty good most of the time” — Cait Donovan

This week on Growth Igniters® Radio:

• Why even good people can burn out in good organizations
• How looking beyond blame to a “Web of Causation” can change the way we understand and address burnout
• What a successful CEO’s learned about the hidden mismatches that can contribute to burnout
• Three immediately useful ideas for discovering mismatches and creating better matches

Resources For This Episode:

• Find out more about Cait Donovan and connect with her on LinkedIn
• Listen to our first conversation with Cait Donovan: “How Leadership Can Reduce Organizational Burnout.”
• Order  “Mismatch: Why Good People Can Burn Out in Good Organizations.“
• Listen to “FRIED. The Burnout Podcast.“
• Learn more about Pam’s keynote speaking at Pam Harper Speaks

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