Others (I include myself in this group) thinks that the retail is not dead, and what we are currently looking at is only an adaptation of the market to a new distribution channel, that have its advantages and its flaws just like any other channel.

Why am I including myself in the advocates of the retail? The answer is not very easy to answer, because mainly it is “gut feeling” that I have from my previous experiences, and other because of some of the clews that other products shopping experience are currently displaying in the market ( I am including below a PPT).

Part of the answer, relies on the fact that right from the beginning of telecommunications most of the people were saying that some day everything will be downloaded, which seems to be true when we look at how fast the bandwith has been increasing in the last years. But if you look at how fast the storage has algo been developing you can see, that in fact the ration between storage and capacity to download has been increasing. Back in the 360kb floppies, the analog lines and analog modems were doing between 300Bps to 1200bps, and when they increased the speed to 2400bps, storage jumped to 720Kb and to 1.44Mb.
When modems took the internet speed to 14400bps and to 28800bps, CD appeared in the market and took storage up to 640Mb/800Mb. And finally when connections jumped to the digital age with DSL lines 256Kbps and up (50Mbps), DVDs and Bluerays took the storage to 4,5/9/50Gb.
In this comparation, I am not including harddisks which are currently going over the Terabyte.
Associated with this fact, there is another paragdima associated with the developers, and that basically states, that a software developer will always used all the resources made available to him, ( just like the the gases). Which means that if a game developer has a 50GB media, it will fill it up with content.

Digital download is a singular experience, where a man is seating individually in front of console, and browsing through a catalogue of games, as to download one. No human interaction is done. If there is a problem, there is no one to help you out, unless a Customer Representative Agent is called (which in most of the cases will be an intelligent answering machine). Retail is a social experience, where you go with your friends/family and where you see other people, what they are buying, what they are thinking about a game. If you have a problem you can go to the shop personel and ask questions about the product, and you will be amably taken care.

With digital products, you don´t have the feeling of owning anything because you don´t see around you, what you have bought. It is like digital pictures, where you have now over 5000 pictures, but you never watch any, because they are all stored in a hard disk, while previously you only had a couple of tenths of pictures everywhere through your house.
With bookd and DVD you can see them on your library and it will remind you to read an old book or to watch an old movie. With digital information, you eventually forgot that you have it.

Those are my reasons. There could be more like limited editions of boxes, or exclusive gifts (t shirts, dolls, accessories, etc), but I think that those are already very clear to anyone.

I am attaching a very good slide presentation found on linkedin, where retail and digital are merged as to create a better shopping experience. Could this be the future, most probably, as most of the game portals are starting to have physical download vouchers instores to be bought be people while going at their local gaming store.

More at www.game-developers.org

as seen in linkedin;  a very interesting fable,  by Phil Johnson, about other styles of leadership and management, and that I have to link with a similar experience that happened to me a couple of days ago.

I am associated with a local assocations that has been developed to lobby for the interesses of videogames developers, and it is frequent that we are requested for help with conferences, presentations or our participation in juries or other evalution processes of videogames. I saw the request to be in the jury of videogame contest developement, and I immediatly offered my participation, because I feel that it is my responsability to be near the people starting in the industry and provide them with valuable insights and advices. The person that was dealing with the process asked me, if I was sure that I wanted to be there, because there would be no public/media exposition to the event, and others had said no.  I answered that I was not offering because of the exposition because of my commitment: firstly, to help the association; and secondly, to help new and young blood into the industry.

So I agree with the story that a leader is to serve the others and to support the overall organization into solving its flaws and move as a whole into the future.

Now the story.

A legend tells of a French monastery known throughout Europe for the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately, they began to bicker about who should do various chores.

On the third day they met another monk going to the monastery, and he joined them. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and do it himself. By the last day, the others were following his example, and from then on they worked together smoothly.

When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. “But our brother is among you!” And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them.

Today, many people seek leadership positions, not so much for what they can do for others but for what the position can do for them: status, connections, perks, advantages. They do service as an investment, a way to build an impressive resume.

The parable about Brother Leo teaches another model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding. Leadership based on example, not command. This is called servant leadership.

Another misconception that exists is that once  a team is build, the connection will last for ever, or if the team is not connecting immediatly,  it will never connect and perform up to the requirements. The sinergies between team members is an iterative process where the team will be moving back and fort between states of connection, ranging from harmony to  periods of stressful disputes and divergences that may destroy it immediatly. The process is called the Tuckman’s team building cycle, and if known it can actually helps a team manager to control the timings associated with the team process.

Characteristics of high performant teams

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Seven-Characteristics-of-a-High-Performing-Team&id=413346

If you lead a team, you know that the journey to high-performance is ongoing. It’s the rare team that achieves high-performance and just stays there. In my business life, whether I’ve managed a team within an organization, or run my own company, it’s been unusual to keep the same team together for longer than a year. Team members come and go, driven by the needs of the organization and their own career goals. And every time the members of a team changes, the team needs to regroup and refocus.

What’s a team leader to do? For starters, focus on the seven characteristics of a high-performing team (what we call a Total Team at NetSpeed Leadership): 

Shared Purpose and Direction

On a high-performing team, everyone on the team is committed to the team’s purpose. They know exactly what that purpose is because the team leader keeps them focused by constantly communicating that purpose in team meetings and regular updates. The team leader helps each individual team member meet his or new own needs while serving the overall purpose of the team.

Motivating Goals

The team leader ensures that everyone on the team has clearly defined goals and targets. In some organizations, the strategic goals and departmental objectives are determined by senior management. In that case, the team leader makes sure that these goals are clearly discussed. Team members should understand how their jobs support the achievement of the defined goals, and, if possible, have the opportunity to develop individual goals and action plans that spell out how they will contribute to the success of the organization.

Commitment to Individual and Team Roles

On a Total Team, team members have clearly defined expectations but they also understand how each of their roles is linked to every other role. Team leaders ensure that team members are cross-trained in other responsibilities so that everyone can back each other up when needed. The team leader makes sure that individual job responsibilities are fulfilled, but, at the same time, works to help the individuals develop a common language, processes and approaches that allow them to function as a team.

Multi-Directional Communication

On the best teams, team members solve problems, communicate with each other, and keep the team leader updated on current challenges or emerging issues. On low-performing teams, communication is one-way (from team leader to team members) or two-way (between the team leader and individuals). Skilled leaders focus on developing multi-directional communication, avoiding the trap of communicating with individuals members of the team.

Authority to Decide or Act

No doubt about it, new teams may have to earn this authority by demonstrating that they understand the team’s purpose, processes and priorities. However, effective team leaders work toward pushing authority for the team’s outcomes to the team members. Team members know how and when to get approval for decisions and, in the best of cases, are charged with making on-the-spot decisions when a customer is facing them. On low-performing teams, team members have to constantly get approval before taking action, significantly reducing their effectiveness and negatively affecting their sense of engagement on the team.

Reliance on Diverse Talents

Savvy team leaders pay attention to helping team members understand their unique strengths, talents, and weaknesses. No individual team member can be good at everything. The best team leaders assist everyone to develop an appreciation for individual style differences, natural gifts, and personal experience. Teams are encouraged to use the language of acceptance and appreciation, rather than criticism and judgment. Team leaders consciously hire team members who bring complementary skill sets, unique experience, and diverse perspectives.

Mutual Support and Trust

The seventh characteristic may be the most important, and frankly, is probably the most elusive. The team leader can’t force a team to be supportive and trusting—it’s a natural result of shared responsibility, shared success, and mutual respect. The high-performing team achieves mutual support and trust because they have a history of working together to achieve grand dreams and results. They have met challenges, overcome obstacles, backed each other up in good times and bad. The Total Team has earned each other’s trust.

Building a high-performing team is not an easy task. However, if you’re a team leader that is up to the challenge, then consciously focus on developing these seven characteristics. Bring them to your next team meeting and ask team members to evaluate them. How do you know whether each of these characteristics is present or absent on your team? What is the team willing to do to develop these seven characteristics? Then ask the individuals on your team to commit to 3 – 5 specific actions they will take in the next 60 days. Revisit these commitments regularly and see what develops. I guarantee a rewarding journey to high-performance.

Tuckman’s team building cycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forming,_storming,_norming_and_performing

The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing is a model of group development, first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. This model has become the basis for subsequent models.

Forming

In the first stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The individual’s behaviour is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as team organisation, who does what, when to meet, etc. But individuals are also gathering information and impressions – about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done.

The team meets and learns about the opportunity and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behavior but very focused on themselves. Mature team members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase. Sharing the knowledge of the concept of “Teams – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing” is extremely helpful to the team.

Supervisors of the team tend to need to be directive during this phase.

The forming stage of any team is important because in this stage the members of the team get to know one another, exchange some personal information, and make new friends. This is also a good opportunity to see how each member of the team works as an individual and how they respond to pressure.

Storming

Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each other’s ideas and perspectives. In some cases storming can be resolved quickly. In others, the team never leaves this stage. The maturity of some team members usually determines whether the team will ever move out of this stage. Some team members will focus on minutiae to evade real issues.

The storming stage is necessary to the growth of the team. It can be contentious, unpleasant and even painful to members of the team who are averse to conflict. Tolerance of each team member and their differences needs to be emphasized. Without tolerance and patience the team will fail. This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control.

Supervisors of the team during this phase may be more accessible but tend to still need to be directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior. The groups will therefore resolve their differences and group members will be able to participate with one another more comfortably and they won’t feel that they are being judged in any way and will therefore share their own opinions and views…

Norming

At some point, the team may enter the norming stage. Team members adjust their behavior to each other as they develop work habits that make teamwork seem more natural and fluid. Team members often work through this stage by agreeing on rules, values, professional behavior, shared methods, working tools and even taboos. During this phase, team members begin to trust each other. Motivation increases as the team gets more acquainted with the project.

Teams in this phase may lose their creativity if the norming behaviors become too strong and begin to stifle healthy dissent and the team begins to exhibit groupthink.

Supervisors of the team during this phase tend to be participative more than in the earlier stages. The team members can be expected to take more responsibility for making decisions and for their professional behavior.

As team members get to know each other better, their views of each other begin to change. The team feels a sense of achievement for getting so far, however some members can begin to feel threatened by the amount of responsibility they have been given. They would try to resist the pressure and revert to storming again.

Performing

Some teams will reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or the need for external supervision. Team members have become interdependent. By this time they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team.

Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participative. The team will make most of the necessary decisions. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams will go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team.

Personally, I don´t think that sucess in the actual economic downturn has anything to do with being extro or introverted, or only dependent on the leader.
I don´t think that in order to have good results in the current times can be only attributed to a single leader, but rather to a team of talented and balanced people coordinated by a listening leader (extro or introverted) that will take his decisions based on the expert advices of his team.

When I say “balanced” I am referring to the fact that teams and groups in order to work correctly must have balanced profiles, that will allow the overall team to take better and more corrects decisions. This has been studied and published defined by Dr Meredith Belbin(http://www.belbin.com/) . You can have an overview at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm
A good team must have specific roles in it to allow that balancing, profiles like:

Coordinator (CO)
Coordinators are the ones who take on the traditional team-leader role and have also been referred to as the chairmen. They guide the team to what they perceive are the objectives. They are often excellent listeners and they are naturally able to recognize the value that each team members brings to the table. They are calm and good-natured and delegate tasks very effectively.

Their potential weaknesses are that they may delegate away too much personal responsibility, and may tend to be manipulative.

Team Worker (TW)
Team Workers are the people who provide support and make sure the team is working together. These people fill the role of negotiators within the team and they are flexible, diplomatic, and perceptive. These tend to be popular people who are very capable in their own right but who prioritize team cohesion and helping people getting along.

Their weaknesses may be a tendency to be indecisive, and maintain uncommitted positions during discussions and decision-making.

Resource Investigator (RI)
Resource Investigators are innovative and curious. They explore available options, develop contacts, and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team. They are enthusiastic team members, who identify and work with external stakeholders to help the team accomplish its objective. They are outgoing and are often extroverted, meaning that others are often receptive to them and their ideas.

On the downside, they may lose enthusiasm quickly, and are often overly optimistic.

Thought Oriented Roles:
Plant (PL)
The Plant is the creative innovator who comes up with new ideas and approaches. They thrive on praise but criticism is especially hard for them to deal with. Plants are often introverted and prefer to work apart from the team. Because their ideas are so novel, they can be impractical at times. They may also be poor communicators and can tend to ignore given parameters and constraints.

Monitor – Evaluator (ME)
Monitor-Evaluators are best at analyzing and evaluating ideas that other people (often Plants) come up with. These people are shrewd and objective and they carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision.

Monitor-Evaluators are critical thinkers and very strategic in their approach. They are often perceived as detached or unemotional. Sometimes they are poor motivators who react to events rather than instigating them

Specialist (SP)
Specialists are people who have specialized knowledge that is needed to get the job done. They pride themselves on their skills and abilities, and they work to maintain their professional status. Their job within the team is to be an expert in the area, and they commit themselves fully to their field of expertise.

The success of a good leader is to actually be able to modify his own role as to be sure to have all the roles view about the decision to be taken.

A team to be performant and be successfull in the decision and actions taken needs to have all the roles assumed during the decision taking process, as to avoid the traps associated with group synergies and influences. It is why the role of the leader is important, as to be able to guide the team forward taking advantage of each of the roles, and assuming himself some of the roles that could be missing in the team, as to allow the overview and thoughts it could have to be applied.

Links:

• http://www.belbin.com/
• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm

I have to say, that I have never tried bricks to test a candidate, but it could really be a good camp field testing.

Put about 100 bricks in some Particular order in a closed Room with an Open window.
Then send 2 or 3 candidates in The room and close the door.

Leave them alone and come back  After 6 hours and then analyze The situation.

If they are counting the Bricks.
Put them in the accounts Department.

If they are recounting them..
Put them in auditing ..

If they have messed up the Whole place with the bricks.
Put them in engineering.

If they are arranging the Bricks in some strange order.
Put them in planning.

If they are throwing the Bricks at each other.
Put them in operations .

If they are sleeping.
Put them in security.

If they have broken the bricks Into pieces.
Put them in information
Technology.

If they are sitting idle.
Put them in human resources.

If they say they have tried Different combinations, yet Not a brick has Been moved. Put them in sales.

If they have already left for The day.
Put them in marketing…

If they are staring out of the Window.
Put them on strategic Planning..

And then last but not least.
If they are talking to each
Other and not a single brick
Has been
Moved.

Congratulate them and put them In Top management”

Netherless, a lot of people are underusing the potential of linkedin and are loosing precisous opportunities to generate more business in the long term.

While reviewing Linkedin, I have found a great article about how to use correctly Linkedin to take advantage of its possibilities, and  I cannot resist to link to it.

http://www.kherize5.com/blog/bid/24561/13-LinkedIn-Mistakes-to-Avoid

13 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid

Posted by Suzanne Vara

LinkedIn, the socially connected professional network, has made numerous changes over the past few months to become more thank a job resource. The changes have made it a viable tool for people to connect, discuss, get answers to questions as well as connect with people that they just may be working with in the future. The future of social media marketing is bright and the tools we use today are building blocks for what is yet to come. Creating profiles that are complete and honest are just the beginning. Many of these have been written time and time again but as I look to connect with new people, I still see the same mistakes being made.

13 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid

1. Default URL. Increase your personal branding so easily by changing the default to a personal URL. Click Edit Public Profile Settings in the top right and then edit your Public Profile URL to your name.2. My Website/My Company. Keeping the default is asking people to look above to see who your current employer is and then go back and click on it. It is a simple change: On your profile, click websites, then at the drop down, click “Other” and then type in the name and descriptive terms

3. Private Profile.  As social media is evolving with Google’s live search, Bing/Twitter as well as Google’s Social Search what was private is not anymore.  Go public so people can find you.

4. Joining Groups.  The maximum amount of groups you can join is 50. While that seems like a lot, how many people are at the max? There are so much information to contained within groups – news, discussions, slide shares that failing to join groups is missing out on an opportunity to connect.  50 is not always the easiest to keep up with and connect with all members but the information shared in the groups is very valuable.

5. Lack of Participation in Discussions. Social media is about connecting and building relationships – talking to people. Taking part in discussions gets you noticed as well as keeps the conversation going and the sharing of information, viewpoints and knowledge.

6. Not Asking/Answering Questions. Asking questions and getting feedback from others is not only free, it many times does give you answers that you were seeking.  Answering questions allows you to share what you know and build a reputation within your industry.

7. Linking Every Tweet. Pushing every tweet to your LinkedIn status is noise.  I am a very big fan of Twitter, on twitter. Having people that I am connected with on LinkedIn to see every tweet is not the proper forum. Selected tweets of articles read and worth sharing, absolutely but every tweet, no.

8. Lack of Company Page. As a business owner, a company page is another way to get found. Create a company page so that people know you are there. There had been some hesitations as each employee that adds you as an employer is linked to you and once they leave, they can speak about the company in a manner that is not consistent with company policy shall we say.  Months ago this was a factor but with the social media tools available there is no excuse for not having a company page.

9. Incomplete Profile.  Lack of a photo (or updated photo), complete summary and custom title.  President does not cut it anymore.  People do not search for president, CEO, etc.  Your summary is your chance to let people know what you do and how you can help them.

10. Connecting & Then Selling. It is not a forum for a sales pitch. Similar to auto dm’s in Twitter. People who connect with you have to agree and they will look to find out what you do. Sending a thanks for connecting with a sales pitch is asking to be ignored.

11. Not Updating Status.  Every tweet is overkill but not updating your status is showing people that you are not active. Inactivity is showing that you are an infrequent visitor. Be active. Let people know what you are involved in, reading, etc.

12. Failing to Comment on Comments. This is similar to comments on our blog. If someone comments, then respond to them. You are asking them to read, they are responding, take time to acknowledge their efforts.

13. Not Giving or Asking or Recommendations. Giving is easier than asking.  I do not like to ask for them as I think that if I give one then that is sort of a nod back to that person to maybe give one back.  Bad strategy … probably but the importance is to give and then ask.

As you go and look at your LinkedIn profile, look for ways to improve.  We are all on limited time and to check this profile, that one and the newest one that comes out is not easy. Staying involved with certain platforms that are making changes is a sign for what is to come.

Agree? What have you done to enhance your profile and stand out?

The intrisic burnout is very easy to solve, it is basically a question of taking some days off with the family and forgot about the company.

The extrinsic burnout is actually more complicated than that, because it is being generated by other people/situations that we do not have control upon, and that are sometimes difficult to diagnose and identify a solution to fight it. Most of these kind of burnouts actually ends with people leaving their companies.

In the meanhwile, someone actually sent a very interesting article about how to fight burnout, and that I think deserves to be shared openly with all my readers. It is really a must read.

http://drbalternatives.com/articles/gc3.html

Preventing Job Burnout

The atmosphere of the workplace has changed dramatically in recent times. Ever since the exploitative practices of the industrial revolution were removed through legislation, work has been defined as a place where a person could find fulfillment through a job, which was rewarding and paid a fair wage. But this definition has reverted in recent years to one in which the needs of the employee have become less important. Finding personal fulfillment through our work has become more of a challenge. Progressive occupational stress leading to job burnout has become a painful reality for many people.

The incidence of job burnout has become increasingly widespread as

• corporations merge and the interests of the stockholders come to predominate business policies,
• jobs are eliminated or combined because of technological innovations,
• more production moves overseas where labor costs are cheaper,
• downsizing has become more frequent (where the worker is expected to do more work for less money)
• layoffs occur with alarming frequency.

Many people are working longer hours and taking on more responsibilities just to stay in place. Where one income used to support a family, now it usually takes two and this has a major impact on the dynamics of raising a family.

As a result of these changes in the workplace, stress has increased dramatically for some workers. Job stress is the result of overload on our senses and our inability to complete tasks. We are presented with more demands, information, stimuli, and intensity than we can take in and process. The end result of prolonged exposure to this stress is job burnout. We progressively shut down under the demands placed on us from the outside world.

When we have difficulty in setting priorities and putting our lives into balance, we are more prone to suffer from burnout. We feel that we cannot keep up with everything we have to do. Not only is our work intense, but we also have demands to participate in family life, keep up with friends, and complete our normal chores of everyday living. We feel a decreased ability to set limits on these various demands. We then begin to feel a vague sense of just not caring so much about work, or maybe anything, anymore. We feel overwhelmed and then we retreat.

Burnout often starts as a feeling of fatigue physical, mental or emotional , which lasts increasingly longer. Weekends, holidays, vacations and customary diversions just don’t give us a sense of renewal any longer. We start to withdraw from coworkers and supervisors. We aren’t as attentive to our responsibilities. We may see increased substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, tobacco), changes in our appetite, sleep disruptions, or the onset of physical or emotional health problems. We arrive late and leave early. We may become increasingly angry, hostile and depressed. In severe burnout we may experience a feeling of disconnection and complete loss of interest in our job. Our self-esteem suffers. As our feelings about work become totally negative, chronic absenteeism can become a problem for both the individual and the organization.

Many are only partially aware, however, of the erosive impact that job burnout has on our lives since we tend to ignore chronic and progressive stress. We often feel that we can and must continue to persevere in overload mode, especially considering our cumulative heroic efforts through the present to keep up with our work demands. We drive ourselves to go on and on, as tired and pessimistic as we may be. Others may see the symptoms earlier than we can. Coworkers may notice a change in work habits or the quantity and quality of our work accomplishments. Our primary relationships may suffer. Our friends may complain about our lack of availability.

There are many stressors on the job, which may contribute to burnout. Here are some of the more common sources of job-related stress:

• work overload
• work with high emotional intensity
• conflicting job demands
• lack of sufficient acknowledgment, support and reward
• no clear endpoint to one s efforts
• high interpersonal conflict
• excessive bureaucracy too much paperwork from higher-ups
• value clashes between the individual and the organization

Unfortunately, it is often those who show the most promise at the beginning of their careers who later succumb to burnout. They are idealists, perfectionists and workaholics. They are high achievers who have high energy levels and positive attitudes initially. They are dedicated to their work and committed to doing well continuously. Needless to say, more work gets shunted their way. Over time, however, the relentless stress and the inability to cope with the demands of the job lead to burnout.

Some Common Signs of Job Burnout

Interpersonal Problems When we feel drained emotionally at work, it becomes more difficult to deal with other people. When expected conflicts occur, we may overreact with an emotional outburst or increased hostility. We may also start to isolate ourselves from other people. We send out messages in our behavior that we are not as present or as available to others as we have been in the past. We might experience a decreased desire to socialize or to pursue our usual activities outside of work.

Emotional Fatigue It is common to feel dissatisfied, angry, frustrated or depressed from time to time. When we are caught in the burnout cycle, however, these negative emotions become our predominant reactions. We express these feelings even when the situation does not merit negative responses. In more serious instances, severe mood problems (such as mood swings or destructive thoughts) may become evident. Maintaining oneself throughout the day becomes tiring we lose our feeling of satisfaction on the job and the ability to face challenges with a positive attitude. We may eventually experience numbness and have difficulty in feeling much of anything.

Low Productivity During the burnout phase it is common for us to experience boredom with the job and a loss of enthusiasm for our projects. We may feel disillusioned or cynical. We may find it difficult to concentrate and harness our energy to produce the quality of work that we have in the past. We begin to question whether our work is meaningful. To compound the problem, we find it difficult to see how things can change and we feel hopeless about finding a solution.

Health Problems As our emotional reserves are depleted, the quality of our relationships deteriorates and our thoughts about work become more negative, we may begin to experience physical problems. We may feel tired and run down. Some common physical symptoms include headaches, back pain, colds, insomnia, rashes or hives, chest pains or palpitations, gastrointestinal problems, and nervous tics. Sleep problems are common, ranging from restless, fitful sleep, to nightmares, to early awakening with our first thoughts on the upcoming day s work demands.

Addictive Resolutions To cope with the chronic stress of the job, we may resort to substance abuse. An increased intake of caffeine on the job is common, along with nicotine addiction and the use of legal drugs such as prescription medication and/or alcohol. Some people resort to illegal drug use. Normal activities such as television or computer use can also become addicting. An increase or decrease in food intake may accompany job burnout. These attempts at self-soothing, however, further compound the problem and fail to address the real issues.

Obsessive Thinking During our non-working hours, work continues to be on our minds, even when we are physically involved with other pursuits. Our usual spiritual, religious or recreational practices fail to sustain us in the face of what we deal with on a daily basis. We have a decreased ability to place our work into a larger and more meaningful context. Our thoughts involve a continuing focus on problems rather than on solutions.

Burnout Prevention

Burnout is not an all-or-nothing condition. Rather, think of it as a progressive wear-down ranging from normal feelings of getting a little tired of your job to a state of complete exhaustion. Most workers suffer from some of the symptoms of job stress, if not burnout, from time to time. With careful examination of what is contributing to our stress and attending to our needs for well-being, we can usually halt the wear-down and revive our enthusiasm for work. Frequently we must take an in-depth look at how we work and live in order to turn our stress into an opportunity for personal growth. Here are some tips for preventing and recovering from job burnout:

1. Examine Your Denial. When we are exposed to stress over long periods of time, we tend to deny that there is a problem. The first step in learning to cope with job stress is to listen to the wisdom of your body. Freely admit and come to accept that you are under stress. Identify the sources of your stress and learn how you are reacting to them. Coming to terms with burnout is difficult, if not impossible, unless we stop denying that there is a problem.
2. Avoid Isolation. When we are burdened with constant job stress, dealing with other people is often the last thing we want to do despite the fact that developing closeness and emotional intimacy with others is one of our most effective ways of buffering ourselves from pressure. Closeness brings new insights and also decreases the negative effects of agitation and depression.
3. Reduce Intensity in Your Life. Examine those areas of your life, which involve the most concentrated intensity and then work toward alleviating that pressure. This can involve both work and non-work tasks. For example, if your anxiety increases with certain areas of work (meetings, long hours crunching numbers, etc.), see if you can either eliminate those tasks or take a new approach toward them. If you have to make dinner every night after a long day on the job, see if other arrangements can be made at least some of the time. Question whether you really have to watch the news on TV every night or whether spending some quiet time with music or reading might be preferable.
4. Learn to Pace Yourself. Like everything else in nature, our bodies need up times and down times time to work and time to rest. We need moderation and balance. We can work intensely for a while, but then we need to take a break. Insert some quiet and relaxing interludes into your daily routine.
5. Minimize Worrying. Worry solves very few problems, but it does increase our general anxiety. If you find yourself obsessing over your concerns, and perhaps losing sleep in the process, write them down, talk them over with a friend, come up with a real solution to the problem, take action and then let it go.
6. Take Care of Your Physical Needs. When our bodies are run down, we are more susceptible to burnout. Make sure you have a nutritious diet (especially a good breakfast), but avoid abusing yourself with rigid diets. Try to get as much exercise as you realistically can. Avoid addictive substances. And get plenty of sleep.
7. Nurture Yourself More Than Others. Likely candidates for job burnout are those who are more concerned about caring for the needs of others to the detriment of caring for their own needs (this is why nurses, doctors, teachers and others in the helping professions are prone to job burnout). Some people seek the approval of others by agreeing to take on enormous projects and working long hours. Rather than nurturing others as your first response, try nurturing yourself. (If you are drained all the time, how can you effectively help others?). Learn to say no. Try delegating responsibilities to others rather than taking on an overload yourself.
8. Take a Close Look at What Your Work Means to You. Try sorting through what is meaningful in your life and separate it from those things, which are temporary and fleeting. Learn what is essential, and what is nonessential, for your happiness. Examine how your work can become a reflection of your essential self, and, if it cannot, consider ways to modify your current work or perhaps go into a new career altogether. Working with a trained therapist on these questions can open the door to a brand new way of living…with contentment, integrity and true satisfaction.

Job Burnout As a Gift

Burning out can be an awful experience. After all, many of us spend most of our waking hours on the job more hours, in fact, than we spend with our families and friends. When this enormous part of our lives becomes so stressful, along with worry, self-esteem issues, anger, depression and withdrawal, a major personal crisis is generated. Our first impulse is to deny that job stress is finally getting the best of us. We persevere and keep doing the same things every day, working even harder as if that might be the answer to finding relief. But the cycle is futile. More work is not going to alleviate the problem of working too hard and it further depletes our emotional reserves.

Think of a burnout crisis as a gift, one that helps inform us that something is out of kilter in our lives and we must look deeper within to find answers to its resolution. Without the burnout crisis, we may never feel prompted to finally answer some critical questions about our lives:

• What am I trying to accomplish with my work life?
• What are my key interests and does my work fit with them?
• What are my key skills and does my work use them?
• What are my core values about life balance, about family, about money, about the treatment of people? Is my work in synch with these?
• Am I overworking? If so, why?
• Where is the balance in my life between work and play?
• How would I live my life if I no longer had to work?
• What does work accomplish for me and what is it preventing me from accomplishing?
• Can I shift the focus of my current work or should I look into another type of work?

While these are questions, which everyone grappling with occupational stress should reflect on, we often don’t have the self-discipline and structure to sufficiently explore them. A trained professional can offer a very focused exploration of work life issues which can enable you to get your work life stress sorted out and back to thriving in your chosen work and in your life.

I hope you find this article helpful!

Donna Bellafiore