The Struggle Is...

THE STRUGGLE IS HARD

THE STRUGGLE IS DAUNTING

THE STRUGGLE IS UNRELENTING

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

By Frank Jauregui, CCAM & Todd Greisen, CCAM

We all have those moments in our lives where we consider whether we have given so much of our time, talent, and treasure to our clients and employers that it might just be time to simply allow ourselves to BURNOUT like a struggling match coming to its end and to simply give up and be done with it all.

These past couple of years have been hard. Homeowners have become angrier as they are fed a steady stream of details about the LOSS of personal freedoms along with the perception that we are simply not ‘safe’ anymore.

When people feel like their personal systems have failed them, the flower that blooms out of this scenario is AGGRESSION and HOSTILITY, and most of that hostility ends up coming our way.

Yet, I know so many of you excel at giving yourselves away at the cost of your own personal happiness – to the point of exhaustion and to the point of professional burnout.

I would like to humbly offer up some points that might be of some value to those of us who are battling the sensation of a burnout.

SLEEP MORE

This is no great secret. The more rested you are – the more resilient and powerful you become. Those who catch up with their rest don’t burnout. Try to get 7-8 hours of consistent sleep. Give your body the chance to regenerate and rejuvenate itself.

Physical rest is the foundation to curing burnout. Guard your personal sanctuary of rest. Remove anything that will desecrate your inner sanctum. Sleep equals success!

SAY “NO” FIRST

Say “no” to everything new coming at you over the horizon. Newer managers entering our field may need to say “yes” to all sorts of different demands placed on them by their employers or their clients since they are looking to establish their professional niche, but high-level managers need to say “no” more often.

Setting these sorts of boundaries gives you the permission to value yourself and promote the value you can bring to your employer/client. Remember manager, you don’t need more projects! You need time for greater focus, discipline, learning, and mastery of your current path and priorities, so you can rise to higher levels of achievement you desire.

TIME BLOCK

Constantly responding to emails and allowing individuals unfettered access to you will usurp your productivity and success. Focus on one thing at a time. Focus on real work. How many of us have a goal to have empty inboxes? That is the wrong goal.

We need to bring our talents and abilities to creating, learning, connecting, and leading. Time block in two (2) hour chunks. You control the response time expectation people have of you. No manager should ever be fettered with the unrealistic expectation to provide immediate responses to anyone reaching out to you.

ADD VALUE

Many of you are amazing at what you do! You know this, because you are recognized by your employers, your colleagues, and your clients. What happens immediately to stellar achievers, like many of you are, is that you become loaded with added requests to do more.

You become overwhelmed with requests. What you need to do is ask yourself “Where do I add the most value?” My friends, please make every effort to focus on the particular pieces that you bring that add the most value to your company and clients.

WHAT DO YOU WANT

It’s a basic question that has deeper meaning. It’s really a question of what your real needs truly are. You need to be crystal clear and laser focused on what you want. You need to be intentional.

If your life is ruled by randomness, then your life will be marked by disarray. Routine creates reality. Every aspect of your life – your entertainment, your career, your service – benefits from the routine you incorporate in your life’s pursuits.

SEEK HELP

Easier said than done. Why is that? We tend to make ourselves into work martyrs. We attempt to convince others that we are the only ones who can do what we do. We are wrong in doing this.

We need to seek out the help and support from others whether that is your employer or a company/industry colleague. Seek out the help you need. Be humble.

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

Professional burnout is not the result of a day or even a week of challenges and hard tasks. Burnout is the result of week after week of personal compromise and self-delusion. You know what will make you highly productive, yet we are easily distracted by those who invade our professional boundaries.

SET YOUR BOUNDARIES.

We need to hold ourselves accountable for our life. Weekly self-introspection allows us to make those life adjustments, so we can achieve what we want. If we are not holding ourselves accountable, then we are letting ourselves off the hook too easily. Be honest with yourself!

The struggle is real. Burnout is real. Recognize and confront these individual challenges that exist in your career as a manager. Rise up to meet them with the tools you have been given. You are an amazing manager. Don’t give up yet! We need managers like you more than ever!

Frank Jauregui, CCAM

Frank Jauregui, CCAM is the Senior Community Association Manager at The Management Trust – Southern California, ACMC.

Todd Greisen, CCAM

Todd Greisen, CCAM, is the General Manager of Contra Loma Estates in Antioch, California.