EP. 45 Beyond Burnout: What Mission-Driven Leaders Need to Thrive

I think one of the big costs of burnout or compounding vicarious trauma is there can be a fatigue that leads to a lack of integrity.

And that's the first thing, which can be really undermining to the mission that we all gathered to serve in the first place.

So for example, in the criminal justice system, it's not uncommon for there to be mistakes in reporting, whether a young person turned up or not, to a mandate and whether their case will now be dismissed and sealed, which means that an administrative error becomes potentially a criminal record for that young person.

And I think a lot of things happen like that more commonly than we like to acknowledge.

That's really just a consequence of people being tired.

So the first thing is really looking honestly at what it takes to create an integrous organization and how important it is for justice that people inside that organization are thriving.

The second thing that gets hit on an organisational level is creativity and really being able to innovate.

If we're in survival mode as an organisation or going from one urgent problem to the next, There just isn't the space individually or collectively to create novel solutions that could have an outsized impact.

And an organization that is thriving is an organization that's creating a real difference in the world with integrity and with creativity and innovation.

And that's only possible, in my view, when the individual members of that organisation have the space to

really thrive.

That doesn't mean there's no stress.

It just means that we're having an honest conversation about where we are at and where we're going to move to.

Not all stress is bad.

I mean, it helps us stay safe or keeps us alert, but just the compounding over time, never getting that relief valve.

That's when we start to get into some trouble.

But I want to go back, Rachel, you mentioned something earlier and I loved it because you used now, now if you're listening at home, of course you're not seeing this, but if you're watching live or when, if you're watching online, you know, when you said should you put up the air quotes, I'm just so curious about the word should with you.

What do we feel about that word should, especially in mission driven, you know, agencies.

So I feel like that word should makes us carry maybe more than we need to.

Exactly.

This is when we...

The word should is kind of a signal, I think, in language when we're blaming ourselves and moving into a shaming territory, the idea that there is a right way and that that right way is on our shoulders.

So I think if we're using... should a lot um there's a lot of self-judgment or judgment of others happening in the space and that's just one step away from shame and nobody operates well from a place of shame not in a long-term way anyway perhaps we go into striving and hyper vigilance which can get some short-term results but not in a sustained way for people or for a group of people that are Yeah, moving an organization forward.

Yeah.

Yeah, I like to replace, if I can, I like to replace should with could.

I think one of the big costs of burnout or compounding vicarious trauma is there can be a fatigue that leads to a lack of integrity.

And that's the first thing, which can be really undermining to the mission that we all gathered to serve in the first place.

So for example, in the criminal justice system, it's not uncommon for there to be mistakes in reporting, whether a young person turned up or not, to a mandate and whether their case will now be dismissed and sealed, which means that an administrative error becomes potentially a criminal record for that young person.

And I think a lot of things happen like that more commonly than we like to acknowledge.

That's really just a consequence of people being tired.

So the first thing is really looking honestly at what it takes to create an integrous organization and how important it is for justice that people inside that organization are thriving.

The second thing that gets hit on an organisational level is creativity and really being able to innovate.

If we're in survival mode as an organisation or going from one urgent problem to the next, There just isn't the space individually or collectively to create novel solutions that could have an outsized impact.

And an organization that is thriving is an organization that's creating a real difference in the world with integrity and with creativity and innovation.

And that's only possible, in my view, when the individual members of that organisation have the space to

really thrive.

That doesn't mean there's no stress.

It just means that we're having an honest conversation about where we are at and where we're going to move to.

Not all stress is bad.

I mean, it helps us stay safe or keeps us alert, but just the compounding over time, never getting that relief valve.

That's when we start to get into some trouble.

But I want to go back, Rachel, you mentioned something earlier and I loved it because you used now, now if you're listening at home, of course you're not seeing this, but if you're watching live or when, if you're watching online, you know, when you said should you put up the air quotes, I'm just so curious about the word should with you.

What do we feel about that word should, especially in mission driven, you know, agencies.

So I feel like that word should makes us carry maybe more than we need to.

Exactly.

This is when we...

The word should is kind of a signal, I think, in language when we're blaming ourselves and moving into a shaming territory, the idea that there is a right way and that that right way is on our shoulders.

So I think if we're using... should a lot um there's a lot of self-judgment or judgment of others happening in the space and that's just one step away from shame and nobody operates well from a place of shame not in a long-term way anyway perhaps we go into striving and hyper vigilance which can get some short-term results but not in a sustained way for people or for a group of people that are Yeah, moving an organization forward.

Yeah.

Yeah, I like to replace, if I can, I like to replace should with could.