COACH'S PLAYBOOK
The Positivity Factor:
A New Type of Burnout by Kay Kendall
W
e’ve all heard about the rise in burnout among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But I wasn’t expecting to hear about a new type of burnout expressed by the leaders of several health care organizations on a webinar I recently attended. One after another, they expressed what a challenge it is to show up every day and demonstrate positivity to keep their staff members calm and motivated enough to handle the challenges they’re facing. It reminded me of a time when I was a senior leader at a division in the Southwest that was undergoing constant, major change. We had four presidents in 13 months, and the last one (before I left and went to another company) was an “acting” president. The confusion, frustration, and skepticism were palpable among our employees. One of my colleagues (also a senior leader) said to me, “I come in every day and try not to spook the herd.” We laughed over that, but it was gallows humor.
A recent webinar, “How to Rediscover Joy at Work,” featured presenter Rebecca Newton, Ph.D. She’s an organizational and social psychologist, and a faculty member on the Accelerated Leadership Program at Harvard Law School. Some of her suggestions applied to leaders working in-person with their teams as well as those working virtually. I thought many of her suggestions worked well with the health care approach of rounding, especially rounding on employees. First, she suggested some introspection. What energizes and excites you at work? What is the opposite, what enervates you? She said that, according to research, there are approximately 120 different factors that energize people, with most people having around five that contribute the most to that energy. What was also encouraging to me was the finding that in a group of a dozen or so people, it’s highly unlikely that any two people will share the same five contributors. Why do I think that’s encouraging? Because
ARKANSAS HOSPITALS | WINTER 2021 43
