Burnout is a growing issue during these most febrile of times, but research from the University of Alberta suggests it’s not something that affects everyone equally, and instead, there are some managers that are more vulnerable to it than others.
This apparent vulnerability revolves around how actively involved the leader is with their team. Contrary to logical perceptions, however, it’s not those who are more passive that are better protected from vulnerability, with such an approach actually increasing the risk of burnout.
The findings emerged after a survey of nearly 200 managers from across North America. The results reveal four distinct clusters of manager according to their behaviors:
- Those who are completely disengaged, which accounted for 33.3% of managers
- Those who are passive and hands-off, which accounted for 27.3%
- Those who were able to motivate while also valuing order and structure (25.1%)
- Those able to deploy a wide range of behavioral styles (14.2%)
The researchers hypothesized that stress is often caused by either the loss of resources, or the threat thereof, and this appeared to be born out by the stats, which showed that those in the most comprehensive clusters were at highest risk of burnout.
“To be a good manager and motivate people, the leader really should try to have an awareness of what each person needs,” the researcher explains. “As you might imagine, being a fully engaged leader—inspiring in tough times, solving problems, listening, dealing with all the interpersonal kinds of things—can be taxing and stressful.”
Too passive
By the same token, being excessively passive is not ideal either, with the data showing that those who adopt a very laissez-faire approach actually experienced more burnout than leaders who exhibited more optimal behaviors.
“Rather than anticipating problems and ensuring resources are in place to deal with the unexpected, passive leaders are often surprised by things that come along rather than anticipating problems. This can be very stressful,” the researcher says.
Things can get particularly ugly if this hands-off approach is combined with abusive behavior. This can create a toxic cocktail during times, such as with Covid-19, where people are relying on their leaders to show support and leadership. It can easily create a downward spiral that permanently harms the culture of the organization.
Of course, just as this negative spiral can emerge during stressful times, so too can positive feedback loops emerge when leaders are able to inspire clarity and confidence in their teams.
“We’ve been studying what makes a good leader for 100 years and we’re still trying to figure it out,” the researcher concludes. “Every time we think we know what defines a great leader, someone comes along and sort of turns it all upside down.”
