Disrupting Burnout
Disrupting Burnout with Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson is dedicated to overworked, undervalued high-achieving servant leaders who give all to serve others and leave very little for yourself. You are an accomplished woman with many responsibilities and you often find yourself overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. I’ve been there. As a matter of fact, burnout almost cost me everything. Compassionate work can carry a high price tag: your mind, body, spirit and relationships may be in distress as you serve the needs of others. I am here to equip your hands and refresh your heart so you can serve in purpose and fulfillment and permanently break cycles of burnout.
Disrupting Burnout
128. The Role Fit: Navigating Career Transitions to Prevent Burnout
Hey Friend,
Have you ever wondered if burnout is more about being out of sync with your job than just having too much on your plate? This week, join me, Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson, as we dive deep into the concept that alignment might be key to understanding and overcoming burnout.
In this episode titled "The Role Fit: Navigating Career Transitions to Prevent Burnout," I share personal stories from my own career transitions, including a pivotal move from an associate registrar to a hall director. This shift revealed a critical lesson: success in one role doesn’t always translate to fulfillment in another. We'll explore how our roles and ambitions evolve over time and the importance of recognizing when we’ve outgrown a position that once seemed like the perfect fit.
Moreover, we’ll discuss how leveraging technology to automate routine tasks can significantly prevent burnout. By freeing up time for more engaging and fulfilling activities, employees can focus on work that maximizes their brilliance, leading to greater job satisfaction.
This episode is packed with insights on how to ensure your professional commitments resonate with your strengths and how to thrive by operating within your zone of brilliance. Whether you’re reassessing your current role or considering a new career path, this conversation will provide you with practical strategies for managing burnout and realigning your professional life with your passions.
Tune in to gain a fresh perspective on career fulfillment and actionable advice on how to make your work life more purpose-driven and satisfying.
Love Always,
PBJ
Upgrade to Premium Membership to access the Disrupting Burnout audiobook and other bonus content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213895/supporters/new
Friend, this has come up several times in the last couple of weeks in conversation, so I just want to share it with you all, because I think more people may be struggling with this. Your burnout may not be because of the number of things that you're doing. Your burnout may be because of the quality of what you're doing, the fit of what you're doing. Are you burnt out because you're trying to fit yourself into a role or a job that no longer fits you? Come on, friend, let's talk about it. I don't know about you, friend, but my career path has not been linear. It has not been from one level to another or one step of the ladder to the next. There have been dips and valleys and mountains and spirals and all the things, and it's all been on purpose. And specifically concerning our conversation today, well, you know what? First of all, if you're new here, I am Dr Patrice Buckner-Jackson, but you can call me PBJ. Welcome to another episode of Disrupting Burnout, where we are giving you the strategies for pouring out purpose without continuing to live through the consequences of burnout. And today I want to talk to you so that you can consider if you're overwhelmed. Maybe you're not in burnout, maybe you're in surviving mode. Maybe you're in overwhelm, or maybe you truly are in burnout overwhelmed, or maybe you truly are in burnout. I want you to consider if your burning out is as a result of forcing yourself to try to fit into a position that no longer fits you or that never fits you in the first place. So when I consider my career path, there are several places that I can look back and say that wasn't a fit for me. That was not where I was supposed to be or where my brilliance shines the most, and sometimes it's because I grew out of the position and sometimes it's because it just wasn't the best fit for me. The first example that comes to mind, and so just to give you some background, if you follow my career at all, I worked in student affairs as a student and then my first professional position on a campus was in enrollment management and what we call the registrar's office. So I served as associate registrar and then I decided to transition back into student affairs. I missed being face-to-face with the students and walking with them through their career as a student and through their life things and all the things. So the way that I knew to do that was to take a entry-level student affairs position. Now, whether that was the best decision or not, I could look back on it now and say, oh, that was probably another way, but at that point in my life and in my career it felt like the best thing to do. So I went from associate registrar to a residence hall director, so literally moving out of my own place, moving onto campus into an apartment supervising RAs and living in the building with students. Okay, so I did this for about a year before I was promoted again within student affairs. So it was my re-entry point. But what was interesting about this re-entry point?
Speaker 1:Although I loved being back with my students I loved working with my RAs, I really struggled in the position as a hall director. Now, I had served as a hall director before and was fine, but this time I really struggled. I really struggled with the deadlines and I really struggled with just different parts of the job everything except relating to my students and to the point where this is probably the only time in my career that I can remember that a supervisor kind of sat me down and said, hey, what's going on right? Because it wasn't going well. I knew it wasn't going well. She knew it wasn't going well, but neither one of us could really put our finger on what the problem was.
Speaker 1:So, within that span of time, a position opened within student affairs and student conduct at that same institution and I thought this is what I need, like I need to apply for this director's position. And I was nervous about talking to my supervisor about it, cause, again, I knew that I was struggling in my current position, so I wasn't sure what she would say. But I wanted to talk to her about it and I was kind of excited about it because it felt like more of a fit for who I was and the experience that I had. So I went to her and I said hey, I think I'm going to apply for this position. I think it's going to be a good fit for my experience and who I am and what I need right now. And her response was and I don't remember her exact words, but the response was well, you're struggling as a hall director. How in the world do you think you're going to handle being a director? Now? On the surface, I get it right. I get it. You're looking in the face of someone who's struggling with seemingly the little things and they want to walk into a higher position. So I don't believe that she meant any ill will or ill intent.
Speaker 1:But what she did not realize is my struggle was not that I was not capable. My struggle was I was trying to force myself into a position that I had grown out of. I had already served as a hall director before. Right, I had worked my way up to associate registrar and then came back and this is not an excuse for not doing a good job right, like, all of the major things were covered, but it was just a struggle Like why am I struggling in this position? I know how to do this, but the truth of the matter is I was struggling because it was no longer a fit. I was craving something more challenging. I was craving deeper conversations. I was craving being at the table and helping to chart the direction and not just carrying out the direction. I had had a taste of that for several years before I came back to a position where I was kind of just doing what they told me to do. I didn't see a lot of autonomy. I didn't see a lot of area for growth. I didn't see a lot of room for me to share and do the things that I was equipped to do and it was really shutting me down. So I get why she gave the feedback that she got.
Speaker 1:But now, being on the other side of that, I understand that my struggles in that entry level position was not that I couldn't do it. It was because I had outgrown it. I had skills, knowledge, experience that was beyond the level that I was walking in and I needed a new challenge. Sometimes your struggle is not laziness, it's not lack of knowledge or skill. It is because you need a new challenge. So I went on and I did apply for that higher level position and I got that higher level position and I found myself thriving again. And it wasn't because the hall director position was bad. There was nothing wrong with it. I really enjoyed my opportunity serving as a hall director.
Speaker 1:But at that point in my life and at that point in my career I had outgrown the position. There was no longer that deep joy and value for me in that position because I had known something more. I had become accustomed to being a part of charting the course instead of being the person to walk out the chart right. So I'm saying all that to say when you have outgrown a position, you may begin to feel like you're just surviving, that you're overwhelmed, that you're burnt out, and if you're not careful you'll think, oh, it's because I have all this stuff to do. But if you're honest with yourself, the things that you actually have to do you could just do in your sleep. It's not that you're being challenged by what's on your plate, and it's not even that you have too many things or too many responsibilities on your plate, necessarily. It may be because you're not being challenged. It reminds me of a child who's in a classroom and they may be acting out because they're bored. They may be acting out because they're not being challenged. And if you give that child a challenge, all of a sudden that acting out goes away. You know? Another thing comes to mind, another little metaphor, as I'm preparing to speak at a gala this week.
Speaker 1:I love to dress up. Y'all Love to dress up. You hear me Give me all the sequins and the makeup and all the stuff, like I love it. So I'm very excited. I'm very excited that I get to dress up this week.
Speaker 1:And because I love to dress up, I have a few options already in my closet. I did not have to go shopping. Okay, I have about four dress options in my closet and there was one in particular that I want to wear. There's one in particular that I want to wear because it's a long particular that I want to wear, because it's a long gown and I don't want to fight with my shoes while I'm speaking. So with this long gown I could wear, you know, whatever comfy shoe that I need to, and nobody will ever see it because the gown's so long. So, anyway, I want to wear this long gown. But, friend, this long gown was from several seasons ago and it was beautiful then. Oh, I got so many compliments then.
Speaker 1:But when I tell you I need to give this sister away, when I tell you her season is up, as I have tried to, as I have tried to press myself into that gown this week, it was like no, ma'am, what we're not going to do is this so when you are in a position that is no longer a fit, it's like putting on that dress that you know is too tight. You can't get it zipped up. And if you do get it zipped up, you can't breathe. You might get it on, but you won't be able to move like you need to move. You won't be able to serve like you need to serve, you won't be able to make an impact like you need to make impact, because it's just not a good fit. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the job. As a matter of fact, you may have loved the job at some point, but at this point in your life and in your career, it's just not a good fit anymore. So what do you do when it's just not a good fit anymore?
Speaker 1:Well, one of the things you might want to think about is is it time to look? Now? Everybody calm down, because I know that, as especially supervisors, you're listening to this like PBJ don't tell my people to leave. Don't tell them and I'm not telling them to leave but I also want you to recognize that if we really care about our people, we will care enough to let them go when it's time for them to go. Do not try to hold somebody longer than you should If you know what you have to offer them is not a fit for what they need. Care more for the person than for what they do for you and let them go. Help them go. Help them go.
Speaker 1:You don't want to stay in the same position beyond the point that it's a fit. So why would we want others to do that just because they're doing a good job for us? So is it time to explore? Is it time to be open? I'm not saying you got to do a full-fledged search, but is it time to update your CV and your resume? Is it time to update that cover letter and just be curious, just know what's out there? It may not be time to leave.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's time for a new challenge. Is there an opportunity to give that staff member, that team member, a new project that would stretch them? Now here's the thing, supervisor If you're giving them a new project that will stretch them, you may need to give them some help to take some other things off their plate, because what we do over and over in higher education is the reward for doing good is more good to do, the reward for doing well is more work. So, in giving them a new challenge, how can you assign a graduate assistant, an intern, a colleague, somebody to take something off their plate so that they even have capacity for the challenge? So think about it. Is it a new project? Is it a new committee? Is it a new event? Is it a new strategic plan. Is there something that you could give the team member that would challenge them while also taking something else off their plate that doesn't challenge them?
Speaker 1:Another way that you can help a person grow is is there a part of your responsibility? Now listen to this. Is there a part of your responsibility? Is there a room you can invite them into, a meeting that they can join you at, a part of your job that you can train them on and expose them to? And here's the thing the communication around this is so important because I've heard people feel like gosh, I'm doing his job or her job without being paid their salary. Right, and I get that. That feels that feels like you're being used.
Speaker 1:I think this is different. I think having the conversation to say I recognize you are ready for more. I recognize that you are not being challenged in your current position and your current responsibilities and I would like to support you in helping you prepare for the next. I may not have a pay increase. I don't have another position yet. However, what I do have is this part of my job that I would like to train you on, expose you, to walk with you through. Are you open to that? Is that something that you're willing to participate in, to prepare you for whatever your next is. The communication is important.
Speaker 1:Don't allow somebody to assume that you're just giving away your job and your responsibilities. Help them understand and let them buy in to say, yes, I'm in, I would love this training, I would love this exposure. Yes, please help me prepare for what's next. Or allow them to say thank you for the offer, but that's just not what I need right now. Who is it for? Who's the benefit for? Is it for the team member or is it for you as a supervisor? So those just a few things that you can do. You can support them in being open and curious and exploring to see what's out there. You can give them a new challenge right While taking something else so that they have capacity, and there are many creative ways to take something else without having to hire a new person Y'all.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we need to automate or give it to technology. Sometimes we have very equipped, intelligent, impactful people doing things that technology could do for us, and their hands could be freed to really be challenged and do the thing that lights them up. So be creative and critical. Take that employee into a room with a whiteboard and write out all the things that they have going on right now. Just list them. List everything that's on their plate, list everything that's on their list and go through that and determine okay, here are the things that challenge you, that need your specific expertise. Here are the things that you have picked up that are either not your job, that someone else could be doing, or that we could automate and no person has to do. Help clear the capacity so that your valued employee can have a new challenge put on their plate right. So we want to acknowledge when folks are struggling, sometimes it's not because of any other reason except it's just not a fit anymore and you can make, let's say, alterations. You can make adjustments in the current job to help them feel more fulfilled and maybe that might help long-term or maybe it can support them as they figure out what their next step is. But the goal is for your valued team members to feel valued and to know the value that they bring to the team.
Speaker 1:Another situation in my career where I believe it wasn't a good fit that the lack of fit led me to burnout the burnout story that you all hear me and have heard me share over and over and over. I was serving as vice president of student affairs and I don't believe that it was that particular position that led me to burnout. But I truly believe if I were to serve on a campus again and I'm not against that, as a matter of fact, it could be, you know, anytime. I love what I'm doing, I'm grateful for what I'm doing, I hope I'm able to do this for a long time and if the right position, if the right opportunity came along to allow me to serve students again, I'd be right back on somebody's campus. Let's, I would say, if I were to take a vice president's position again, it would have to be the position that would allow me to be boots on the ground with the students as well as serving the executive position, and I think those are few and far between.
Speaker 1:The reason why I found myself in rock bottom burnout is because my heart longed and I tried to as much as I could be in both places, and in that particular place at that particular time. I wasn't able to do that well. I wasn't able to sit around the executive table and be there and spend my time there and be with my team and my staff and my students as much as my heart desired. So the fit problem wasn't necessarily the position, maybe because when I went back as associate vice president it was a much better fit, a much better fit, and I still had that impact at the executive table. I had a leader that recognized my experience and my skills and allowed me and invited me to those executive tables, even though I was AV VP. But the majority of my time was spent boots on the ground with my students and with my team.
Speaker 1:And when I tell you that's what I love, listen, somebody hear me. When I tell you that's what lights me up, when I can be boots on the ground with my people, training them, supporting them, walking with them, when students can drop by and hang out on their lunchtime, and then I have to kick them out because I have meetings and they think my whole day is to hang out with them, but I have to tell them they have to leave now. That's what I love. That's what I love. That's oh my gosh, that's what I love. So I recognize that even the promotion may not be the best fit.
Speaker 1:I have recognized that, even though we teach, keep climbing the ladder, keep climbing the ladder, keep climbing the ladder. Sometimes you found your fit and you don't need to climb anymore. Now, if it's a money issue, there are many ways that you can make extra money to make sure that your family is taken care of, that your lifestyle is taken care of. Don't climb the ladder just for money. Don't climb the ladder just for the title or just for the salary. If you climb the ladder, know that you are moving within your brilliance. Know that you are moving within your fit. Do not go to another level just because it's culturally appropriate, just because people are telling you that's the next best thing. You go to the next level because you know it is a fit for your heart. It is a fit for your brilliance. It is what you need and also what people need from you.
Speaker 1:Success is no longer the level of the position that I made it to, not according to PBJ. Let me give y'all a spoonful of PBJ. Success is I am maximizing brilliance all over my life and when I look around at the responsibilities that I have, when I look around at the responsibilities that I have, when I look around at the people that I serve, at the job that I do, I can truly say that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and I was made for this. That's it. That's success. I was made for this. I'm doing exactly what I was created and specifically assigned to do. That is success. So, when you find yourself overwhelmed, when you find yourself in burnout, I want you to ask yourself some questions. Is this job a good fit for me? Is it still a good fit? Is the new opportunity going to be a good fit for who I am and the brilliance that I bring?
Speaker 1:Friend, high functioning, highly intelligent, highly accomplished women specifically people, but specifically women. You don't struggle because you got a lot going on. Friend. What I've learned is you always going to have a lot going on. Your calendar is always going to be full and you're always going to have a lot going on. It's not just that you have a lot going on, it is what you are doing. What is the allot, what are the things you are dedicating your time to, and are they a fit with your brilliance? All right, friend. Like I said, this has come up several times in conversations over the last couple of weeks. So I say you know what that tells me. More people need to hear it. So there you have it. This has come up several times in conversations over the last couple of weeks. So I say you know what that tells me. More people need to hear it. So there you have it. Make sure it's a fit friend. As always, you are powerful, you are significant, you are brilliant and you are love, love always, friend PBJ.
