Talents & Burnout: A series introduction

By Chad T. Ahern

We often think of our Talents as our amazing "super powers" that can help us naturally and productively address our work in pursuit of meaningful goals.

Yet, what happens when our external environment - particularly a crisis environment - pushes against our Talents?

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There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed organizations and teams to re-imagine how work gets done, how jobs and organizations are structured, and what their work environs will look like going forward. As you and your organization make changes, it's important to remember that people will react differently. One of the main drivers of their reactions will be their Talents; those natural ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that they use to be productive.  

Over the next 30+ days, I'm publishing a series of posts with some insights on how each of Gallup's CliftonStrengths Talent themes might be pushed toward burnout. I'll also offer suggestions of what you can do as a leader or a colleague to relieve burnout pressures, and help those with each Talent theme better utilize their Talents as we come out of this pandemic period. 

My goal throughout this series is to help you:

• figure out what might be "eating at" some of your team members,
• offer some solutions so you can keep your team performing at their best, and;
• enhance your business outcomes, even as you might be working with fewer people due to layoffs and furloughs.​

Employees who have the opportunity to do what they do best are 57% less likely to frequently experience burnout. 
-- Gallup, Employee Burnout, Part 2: What Managers Can Do --

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash