A little over a year ago, a high-performing specialist at one of the largest technologies companies — we’ll call him Santiago — was given an opportunity no high performer could turn down: an opportunity to play a manager role on a project he really cared about. The director told him, “You care about this; you lead it.” So he did, and all seemed to be going well — even though he was planning a significant company-wide event at the same time, a role he had volunteered for.
How Are You Protecting Your High Performers from Burnout?
We ask our best people to do too much.
June 21, 2018
Summary.
It’s easy to blame burnout on the high performers themselves. After all, the stereotype is that these overachievers say yes to more work even when they’re already at capacity. They routinely put work first, canceling personal engagements to finish the job. But this isn’t the whole story. Managers and colleagues also overburden top performers by putting them on the hardest projects, expecting them to compensate for weaker team members, and asking them to take on a random array of one-off tasks. Managers can protect their star employees from burnout by giving them some autonomy in choosing their projects, pairing them with a high-performing peer for emotional support, and keeping track of additional demands on their time.
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What you need to know about being in charge.
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New!
HBR Learning
Leading People Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.