My consulting and coaching are oriented by the conviction that healthy, effective, fulfilling, valuable work is possible.
That is, it is possible to do good work that creates value for others and for ourselves without overwork or burnout.
In many work settings however we encounter people who find their work meaningful, valuable, and fulfilling, but are battling overwhelm and burnout—or, on the other ‘side,’ people who are ‘underengaged’ and find their work empty, unfulfilling, and meaningless.
In the sectors I work in I encounter more of the former. ‘Civil society’—nonprofits and education—is full of people who find their work deeply meaningful and motivating but are often stressed, at times even exhausted, by the sheer volume, variety, complexity, and speed of it. So much seems urgent; others are depending on us. It seems selfish or irresponsible—or simply impossible—to ‘slow down’ and try to work methodically.
Yet my experience has been—and, increasingly, research appears to confirm—that in these situations, slowing down and working methodically is to some extent possible, and often helpful.
Let us immediately acknowledge reality: many demands on our time and attention are involuntary. Compulsory meetings are scheduled at us at late notice; urgent messages and emails are coming in, little red dots always appearing on the apps on our phones and computers. Behind these messages and requests are real people: colleagues, supervisors, students, and stakeholders with real questions who—at least most of the time—are really, and legitimately, asking for our help.
And indeed often we want to help them. Contributing to others’ well-being and helping others achieve their (healthy) goals is a fundamental source of meaning and fulfillment in human life, and in work settings often explicitly part of the job.
But it can easily become ‘too much.’ Here we come back to the beginning: my consulting and coaching are oriented by the view—based in experience and in research—that in many organizational contexts this situation is ‘addressable’ and to some degree manageable. This is different from claiming that it can be ‘solved.’ Rather, we can develop practices and routines to identify and prioritize the truly important things, act on them, and—firmly but reasonably gracefully—decline the rest.
(Where unclear roles or unreasonable expectations have put us in a position where this seems impossible, making the effort may nonetheless be illuminating. Does the boss simply refuse to have ‘the talk’? If so, it’s likely not you, but them—and maybe it is, after all, time to consider your ‘other options.’)
Put metaphorically: swimming will always take work, but it is not necessary to drown.
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More on my approach: the ‘Whitechapel Dicta.’
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If you think you might like to work with me, get in touch.