by Ken Morgan | Apr 15, 2025 | Uncategorized
I once had a minister tell me that he worked 168 hours a week – i.e. he was always available. Most people would place him high on scale of risk to burnout. In the church and NFP sectors, burnout is both a ubiquitous concern and widely misunderstood risk. It’s not uncommon for my coaching and supervision clients to report feeling ‘burnt out’. When I probe further, they’re actually feeling deeply tired – often attributed to working too many hours. Fatigue due to overwork is only a part of the burnout picture. Many leaders ‘work tired’ for years on end without burning out or becoming symptomatic. Conversely, I’ve coached leaders whose role – on paper – should be comfortably fulfilled in the work hours for which they’re paid, yet they sincerely report that their energy is spent, their emotional reserves depleted, and the prospect of quitting seems inviting. Clearly, there’s more to burnout than tiredness. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the standard measure for burnout, measuring three key indictors: Emotional Exhaustion – feelings of being emotionally drained and overwhelmed by the demands of your work. This is broader that simply physical tiredness. Depersonalization – a sense of detachment or cynicism towards your job or colleagues. Sometimes this includes a loss of compassion for others. You may find yourself thinking, “No one else cares, so why should I?” Reduced Personal Accomplishment – sense a diminished of efficacy and achievement in your work. A sense that your effort is not making a difference. A complicating factor is the human capacity for misattribution. We’ll sometimes attribute our fatigue, disillusionment and hopelessness to our employment when...
