Chickenpox, Strep Throat or Professional Burnout?

Cynthia SeelhammerDeputy City Manager

City of Phoenix

Charlie McClendonCity Manager

City of Avondale

Huey LongCity ManagerCity of Safford

Staying Motivated                                                                                                                                                                                    

What is Motivation?

• Internal state or condition that activates behavior & gives it direction

• Desire or want that energizes & directs goal-oriented behavior

• Influence of needs & desires on the intensity & direction of behavior

What Causes a Loss of Motivation?

• Feeling unappreciated

• Routine or uninteresting work

• Personal problems

• Overwhelming issues

• Too many personnel issues

• Loss of a key staff person

Things to Avoid

• Drowning in self pity– Give yourself an hour then move on

• Destructive behaviors– We each have our favorite

• Inertia & inaction

• Over analyzing the situation

• Turning on others – or turning to gossip

What are Some Motivators?

• Advancing in an organization provides recognition, which is a powerful motivating force

• Developing ideas– Creativity is a natural self motivator

• Adventure– Exploring provides a high-powered learning

environment

• Seeking continual change & adapting to it

Motivating Myself

• Take advantage of my support group

• Reward & recognize myself

• Shake up my surroundings

• Take a vacation

• Envision advancement and recognition

• Motivate myself by paying attention to the needs of others

• Develop a plan to address the problem – whatever it is

Keeping Your Staff Motivated

Why Bother to Motivate?

• People who are motivated & happy at work will accomplish more, perform better, build positive relationships with others & encourage others to do the same.

• People who are motivated are engaged in their work & spend their energy accomplishing positive results.

Motivation Advice & Ideas• Motivate yourself

– You should be modeling the behavior & attitude you expect from staff

• Do simple things often – provide recognition & praise – Give constant positive feedback/recognition when deserved

• Be “future-oriented” – Don’t dwell on past problems– Fix the problem, don’t blame & know when to move on 

• Display optimism– Show people where the organization is going, what you want to

become & identify benchmarks– Show people what is possible

Recognize Differences

• People are individuals & motivations are different for each person

• Get to know the individuals in your organization

• Recognize & respect the differences – What motivates one person may not motivate another

• Take the time to learn the dreams & ambitions of people– Help them get there

Environment versus Work

• WORK: Sometimes you can change the work, providing new experiences & new opportunities

– Consider job rotation, cross training, temporary assignments

• ENVIRONMENT: If you can’t change the work, you can probably change the environment

– Remember, the salary is seldom the number one reason people choose to stay in a job or choose to leave a job.

– Other factors may be more important

Changes to the Work Environment

• Job sharing• Flex hours• Telecommuting• Reward programs• Family-friendly policies• Celebrate success• Humor• FISH• Thank-you notes• Congratulation notes• Copies of photos• Publish stories

• In the past some of these options have been hard to implement in the public sector.– Perception of special

treatment

• In today’s job market we are all competing for the same scarce talent & some of these flexible options are now the norm in the private sector.

Alternatives to Monetary Motivation

• What motivates people other than money?

– Recognition– Time off– Involvement in decisions– Promotions– Freedom– Education– Growth– Fun

What Motivates You?

• Secretary: “Being included so that I know what is going on. Having a personal connection with those I work with. Building positive relationships. Having my work acknowledged.”

• Technical experts: “Freedom to do my projects the way I want to, but knowing I am always able to go to my manager to bounce ideas around or ask advice.”

• “The variety of projects so that it never gets boring. I can always move from one project to the other and switch my focus.”

What Motivates You?

• Management Assistant: “I know I can completely change jobs or take on a special project if I want to, all I have to do is ask. I know I am not expected to die in the harness doing the exact same thing for many years. I know I will have opportunities.”

 • Department Manager: “Flexibility so I can be with

my family when I need to be, and work a modified schedule when I need to. A culture where my ideas are welcomed and taken seriously. Opportunities for training or learning.”

BurnoutA Professional Reality

Burnout – A Professional Reality!

• Professional burnout (PBO) is a serious problem

– It can cause executives & families great unhappiness & emotional pain

– It can impair judgment and put their business and career at risk

• PBO is not as easy to spot as chickenpox or strep throat, but it is quite common

Burnout – A Professional Reality!

• A significant percentage of executives will suffer an episode of PBO at some point in their careers.

• City management types are a hardy, hard-working group.– They have to be in order to get to where they are

today

• Some executives find themselves unable to function or, perhaps even worse, are able to function but in a compromised manner that places themselves or their organization in harms way!

Contributing Factors to PBO

• High stress

• Loss of control– personal or career

• Political change

• Staff upsizing & downsizing

• Economic conditions– prosperity – poverty

• Changing behavior to meet political criteria

• Relentless & unforgiving daily demands

• Business conditions & competitive factors

Contributing Factors to PBO

• Pursue high-level business educational success

• Executive trying to do too much– Perfectionism

• Not willing to define your limitations– Superman Complex

• Your leadership role– Being a leader exacts a price

Note:

Maintaining a

powerful family & support

mechanism can be

one of your best

anti-burnout

strategies.

Signs of Burnout• Chronic fatigue –

exhaustion, tiredness & physically rundown

• Anger at those making demands

• Self-criticism for putting up with demands

• Cynicism, negativity & irritability

• Exploding at inconsequential things, frequent headaches, & gastrointestinal disturbances

• Weight loss or gain

• Sleeplessness & depression

• Shortness of breath

• Suspiciousness

• Feelings of helplessness

• Lack of accomplishment

• Increased degree of risk-taking

Conquering Change

• Managing the stress of change to prevent PBO

– Exercise– Eat right– Create change coping mechanism– Create your plan for change– Know when to get help 

Audience Interaction