Stress is not mission critical!

In this economy you have to prove your worth so everyone is expected to do more in less time and with fewer resources

You cut back on staff and now everyone is doing more than one job. Efforts are scattered and morale is low

There is never time to breathe. You move from one new initiative to the next, one change effort to the next...

If these describe your workplace then you are in danger of the Acceleration Trap as defined in the April edition of Harvard Business Review. To my mind, it seems so obvious that if your organization is operating this way—it is simply unsustainable and can’t possibly serve your mission. And yet, we seem to be living in a time when our worth is measured by our stress. In a world where technology reigns is it any wonder that human wear and tear is practically irrelevant? Please don’t fall into the trap. We need you. You need your people. You need them to be resilient and creative and dedicated and yes, even joyful! Which brings me back to the article...

There is a lot of bite-sized wisdom in this article: Everything from ways to stop the cycle right now to 5 strategies for institutionalizing habits that can stave off the trap.

My favorite strategy

Ask your organization, “What do we need to STOP doing?” As the authors point out, following through on these recommendations, requires the leader to be courageous and steadfast. It will be tempting to keep adding to your plate.

The article ends with a variety of new patterns you can try that will serve to slowly change the culture. Here are two useful ones, read the article for more:

Call for time-outs
Offer recovery after a big push on a new initiative or a labor intensive effort. We are not talking about taking a few days off. We are talking about declaring a 6 month moratorium on strategic planning for the next big thing. No new change efforts. Just time for people to do the work they love and have the space and energy to begin to think creatively again about what could be.

Measure over-acceleration
What we quantify and track is often a sign of what we value. So start helping people to pay attention to when they are over working. Ask employees to self-assess and encourage colleagues to let each other know when they see signs of energy drainage. Develop indicators to help people pay attention and then offer options for addressing the intense pace.

PS: A quick announcement:
I have just unveiled a new program for senior leadership teams of schools and non-profits-entitled, Alt/Shift. Check it out and let your friends and colleagues know about it!