Burnout, Leadership, and the Tyranny of the Transactions

Every job has a transactional aspect and a transformational aspect. The transactional aspect deals with such issues as budgeting, planning, performance management, and administration. The transformational side of management is about inspiring, connecting, mentoring, and visioning. Every job has both of these components. Even in the case of a grocery store clerk, the transactional side is about task completion and operational excellence. The transformational side is about the relationship with the customer – the connection you make in the transaction. Transactions get the job done, but it’s the transformational side where we find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our work.

Burnout is not about hard work; it’s about heart ache. If we aren’t intentional and deliberate, transactional demands can squeeze out what truly matters: making connections, building relationships, and transforming lives. It’s transactions that burn us out and create exhaustion. One of the reasons that the pandemic was so hard on leaders is that the pressures and demands of maintaining protocols and keeping people safe – the tyranny of the transactional – left little space for transformational work.

Next time you are asked how you are, and you reply with “busy,” take a moment to look inside and ask, “Is it a good busy?” Is it the fulfillment of transformational work, or is it the busy that drains your energy through the tyranny of the transaction? How the balance is between the transactional and the transformational aspects of your work? Both are important and both need attending to.

If you are out of balance and want to step away from the tyranny of the urgent, join us in our upcoming Authentic Leadership Academy in November. Check it out at: https://lnkd.in/gMi2euzp