Aspiring and even experienced leaders often don’t know that in order to make sustainable change for both employees and the overall organization, burnout must be a core focus. From experts in burnout research, The Burnout Challenge offers tips and tools needed to evaluate problems and implement solutions. Vital reading for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.
Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global
Psychologists Maslach and Leiter follow up their book The Truth About Burnout with this guide to the causes of burnout and how organizations and employees can make changes to prevent it. The reality is that only a mere 20 percent of workers are fully engaged with their jobs, and the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated this problem. Organizational pressures such as cutting costs, downsizing, and overwork lead to burnout, defined as a combination of exhaustion, cynicism, and a feeling of ineffectiveness. Many view burnout as a problem with the individual, or even a mental health issue; the authors point out, however, that in 2019, the World Health Organization defined burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical one. The authors propose that the way to prevent or ameliorate burnout is by addressing the mismatches between the workplace and the worker, which can fall into six areas: work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, breakdown of community, absence of fairness, and value conflicts. They apply their research alongside real-life examples to provide insightful strategies for both individuals and organizations to avoid burnout. VERDICT: This book proposes a thoughtful approach to tackling a common and serious workplace problem.
A legendary and lasting contribution from two luminaries of burnout research. As we face a growing rampage of workplace stressors, this book offers concrete, actionable solutions for leaders at every level, reminding us that meaningful innovation can only occur at the speed of trust.
Thom Mayer, Medical Director for the NFL Players Association
Burnout seems to be everyone’s problem, and this book has solutions. As trailblazers in burnout research, Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter didn’t just clear the path to study the causes―they’ve also discovered some of the cures.
Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again
Maslach and Leiter are the leading scholars on this timely subject, and their research takes today’s necessary discussions about the nature of the workplace to a new level. This outstanding book will make a substantial impact.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, University of Manchester
Managing burnout is one of the most important responsibilities of the twenty-first-century leader. Full of practical tips and tools to do just this, The Burnout Challenge is an essential resource for the leaders of today―and the aspiring leaders of tomorrow.
Tasha Eurich, author of Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think