TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.377 --> 00:00:08.318
Welcome to Human Bandwidth, expanding your capacity for work, leadership, and life.
00:00:08.847 --> 00:00:14.234
I'm Dr. Tiffany McBean, and this podcast is for people who are committed,
00:00:14.628 --> 00:00:23.144
capable, and deeply invested in making a difference, but sometimes find themselves running on empty.
00:00:24.121 --> 00:00:29.334
For years, we've talked about burnout as if the solution is simply better self-care,
00:00:29.822 --> 00:00:31.952
or learning how to manage stress.
00:00:32.237 --> 00:00:36.306
But what if the deeper issue is capacity?
00:00:37.034 --> 00:00:41.834
What if the environments we live and work in, the expectations we carry,
00:00:42.392 --> 00:00:47.394
and the systems around us are constantly drawing from our bandwidth without
00:00:47.394 --> 00:00:49.381
giving us opportunities to restore it?
00:00:50.182 --> 00:00:57.500
This podcast explores how individuals and organizations can create sustainable success.
00:00:58.189 --> 00:01:02.433
When there is sustainable success, people don't just perform well,
00:01:02.798 --> 00:01:05.712
they have the capacity to thrive.
00:01:06.349 --> 00:01:10.760
And so I remember a few years ago juggling many hats.
00:01:11.318 --> 00:01:18.054
I was working on my final defense for my dissertation while mentoring doctoral
00:01:18.054 --> 00:01:21.134
students that were in the early stages of their program.
00:01:21.813 --> 00:01:26.858
I was preparing high school students for their state exams, and my youngest
00:01:27.194 --> 00:01:29.836
was a senior preparing for college.
00:01:30.535 --> 00:01:34.825
To top it off, I was heavily involved in my church.
00:01:35.555 --> 00:01:41.569
So you might ask, how did you have capacity to juggle so many balls?
00:01:42.103 --> 00:01:43.687
Now, don't get me wrong.
00:01:44.389 --> 00:01:49.384
When you're doing a dissertation, it's best practice to limit the amount of
00:01:49.384 --> 00:01:55.829
activities and responsibilities you're engaged in so you can really focus on the project.
00:01:56.555 --> 00:02:01.332
After all, you don't want to be in a doctoral program for longer than you need to be.
00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:08.876
But capacity to engage in the areas to which you've been called differs from person to person.
00:02:09.673 --> 00:02:15.286
Perhaps you have a similar experience of juggling many balls and wearing many hats.
00:02:15.855 --> 00:02:23.907
Maybe you are relocating while planning a wedding, or maybe meeting or creating
00:02:23.907 --> 00:02:27.315
a new team while doing on-the-job training,
00:02:28.048 --> 00:02:32.117
or maybe you are completing a degree while building a business,
00:02:32.315 --> 00:02:36.430
Maybe you're serving in your church while taking care of a family.
00:02:37.135 --> 00:02:43.834
Maybe you are showing up for your friendship circle while navigating personal crisis.
00:02:44.769 --> 00:02:54.043
As high-capacity leaders, we're involved in multiple arenas simultaneously, and that's no easy feat.
00:02:54.799 --> 00:03:02.497
Unfortunately, many leaders work to depletion when their loads and limits are not congruent.
00:03:03.043 --> 00:03:08.052
And this means many leaders end up exhausted or burned out.
00:03:08.791 --> 00:03:14.277
The demands placed on them, that's their loads, don't match their capacity or
00:03:14.277 --> 00:03:16.390
their boundaries or their limits.
00:03:17.222 --> 00:03:24.449
There's a misalignment. And instead of adjusting, many keep pushing until they're depleted.
00:03:24.589 --> 00:03:26.266
And I know what that feels like.
00:03:27.357 --> 00:03:32.435
I didn't always have a great system of managing my load.
00:03:33.102 --> 00:03:39.407
I remember being a classroom teacher, supporting seventh graders with comprehension,
00:03:39.407 --> 00:03:43.690
writing, and sharing their ideas in an English language arts class.
00:03:44.003 --> 00:03:46.238
And the pressure, believe me, was real.
00:03:46.899 --> 00:03:54.325
At home and at work, and I didn't stop to assess my load or my limit.
00:03:55.131 --> 00:03:58.910
I don't even know how I did that at the time.
00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:06.504
Instead, I just kept going, doing all the things, all the things that were placed
00:04:06.504 --> 00:04:10.374
on my lap to accomplish in my professional life, in my personal life,
00:04:10.374 --> 00:04:13.114
and believe me, I was burned out.
00:04:14.149 --> 00:04:19.629
Not only was it physically and mentally demanding, it was also emotionally draining.
00:04:20.400 --> 00:04:23.296
I rarely took the time to recover.
00:04:24.068 --> 00:04:31.001
And we all know that sleep is not sufficient recovery when you're experiencing burnout.
00:04:31.770 --> 00:04:35.458
But before we go any further, let's take a quick break.
00:04:35.736 --> 00:04:41.424
And I'm going to tell you who this season of Human Bandwidth Expanding Your
00:04:41.424 --> 00:04:46.060
Capacity for Work, Leadership, and Life is brought to you by.
00:04:46.542 --> 00:04:52.335
I want to give a huge shout out to Mind Food International.
00:04:52.852 --> 00:04:57.513
MindFood International is an HR consulting firm working across the Caribbean,
00:04:57.797 --> 00:04:59.759
the United States, and Canada.
00:05:00.547 --> 00:05:05.854
The company was founded by UN Ambassadors Natasia and Jamar Wright.
00:05:05.854 --> 00:05:09.199
And their focus is simple, but very ambitious.
00:05:09.617 --> 00:05:16.908
Develop people, build leadership capacity, and drive transformation that actually holds.
00:05:17.291 --> 00:05:21.395
So if this conversation about expanding your capacity is landing for you,
00:05:21.964 --> 00:05:24.794
go connect with MindFood International.
00:05:24.794 --> 00:05:32.425
It's worth seeing how they are doing this work at scale in organizations and across nations.
00:05:33.388 --> 00:05:38.834
So, all right, let's get back to the conversation. Burnout is not just about
00:05:38.834
Load full transcript
--> 00:05:44.086
tired people, but about the lack of sustainable systems.
00:05:44.719 --> 00:05:50.890
Earlier, I asked, how does anyone have capacity to juggle so many balls?
00:05:51.650 --> 00:05:54.419
Well, here's how I do it.
00:05:55.484 --> 00:06:00.484
I manage my load while addressing my limit.
00:06:01.333 --> 00:06:04.316
I don't stretch past my limit.
00:06:05.346 --> 00:06:10.762
Because that's where depletion lands. It lands and it's not self-honoring.
00:06:11.290 --> 00:06:14.866
Know that you should stop before you get depleted.
00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:21.012
Also, your load will feel different on any given day. On one day,
00:06:21.012 --> 00:06:22.980
the load may feel manageable.
00:06:23.777 --> 00:06:28.375
And another day, that same load might appear burdensome.
00:06:29.672 --> 00:06:34.422
We must navigate the changes that are happening in our lives,
00:06:34.422 --> 00:06:38.772
our work, and our team to adjust the limit.
00:06:39.723 --> 00:06:48.210
You have to be the person that can stand under the weight of the responsibility that you're carrying.
00:06:49.734 --> 00:06:55.487
People from the Christian faith, they know that God's strength is made perfect
00:06:55.876 --> 00:06:57.896
when they feel most weak.
00:06:58.719 --> 00:07:03.381
We know that for God's design to be accomplished through us,
00:07:03.793 --> 00:07:08.332
we must persevere in Him and prepare for the pressure.
00:07:09.119 --> 00:07:14.007
You see, I've done extensive research in instructional practice in schools,
00:07:14.506 --> 00:07:21.472
And one of the stark findings is that an embedded system helps teachers alleviate
00:07:21.472 --> 00:07:23.799
burnout and teacher-related stress.
00:07:24.037 --> 00:07:29.022
But that's a conversation for another time because today I want to share what
00:07:29.022 --> 00:07:33.725
can happen when leaders are not intentional about managing work,
00:07:34.103 --> 00:07:39.304
managing leadership, and managing their life to prevent or address burnout.
00:07:40.007 --> 00:07:49.428
There can be chronic fatigue, strained relationships, loss of creativity and joy, just to name a few.
00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:57.110
It's really hard for high-capacity leaders to get disengaged because much of
00:07:57.110 --> 00:08:03.612
what we do gives us the mental energy that we crave.
00:08:03.833 --> 00:08:10.380
However, our clarity and the quality of our decisions are negatively affected
00:08:10.577 --> 00:08:12.481
when we experience burnout.
00:08:13.299 --> 00:08:17.624
So here is one takeaway that you can implement right away.
00:08:18.448 --> 00:08:26.833
Examine your load. Think through what this month or this week requires of you.
00:08:27.622 --> 00:08:34.410
Then process your limit. Don't wait to feel it in your body because high-capacity
00:08:34.410 --> 00:08:37.036
leaders already know what the energy drainers are.
00:08:37.714 --> 00:08:42.968
So based on what this month requires or what this week requires,
00:08:43.362 --> 00:08:47.856
cognitively process what your limits will be and plan ahead.
00:08:48.638 --> 00:08:54.850
Will this mean more frequent breaks? Will it mean rearranging your schedule
00:08:54.850 --> 00:09:02.228
to place more challenging interactions at a different time of the day when you're most energetic?
00:09:03.273 --> 00:09:07.650
Taking stock of your loads and limits is a sustainable system.
00:09:08.567 --> 00:09:13.785
One way to build capacity is by managing your load and your limits.
00:09:14.907 --> 00:09:19.690
Because you see, capacity is not just about how much you do.
00:09:20.380 --> 00:09:24.914
It's about how well your system supports what you do.
00:09:25.384 --> 00:09:29.198
I'm going to say that again for the people at the back.
00:09:29.616 --> 00:09:34.684
Capacity isn't about how much you're able to do. It's about how well your system
00:09:34.684 --> 00:09:39.189
supports you as you do the work you've been created by God to do.
00:09:40.117 --> 00:09:46.044
There's a scripture in Luke 14 and 28 that says, for which of you intending
00:09:46.044 --> 00:09:51.506
to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost,
00:09:51.907 --> 00:09:54.323
whether he has enough to finish it.
00:09:55.284 --> 00:10:00.578
Here, Jesus is emphasizing intentional evaluation before action.
00:10:01.310 --> 00:10:08.048
And that's what I'm inviting you to do. Examine your load, understand your limit.
00:10:08.886 --> 00:10:13.338
So whatever your area of service, whether you're a teacher, a leader,
00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:18.708
a founder, or someone responsible for supporting a team, the question is the same.
00:10:19.453 --> 00:10:24.480
Are you creating environments where people can sustain excellence?
00:10:25.248 --> 00:10:31.732
Because the future of work will not only depend on what people can accomplish.
00:10:32.444 --> 00:10:39.515
It will depend on whether people have the capacity to continue accomplishing it.
00:10:40.260 --> 00:10:48.625
See you next time on Human Bandwidth, expanding your capacity for work, leadership, and life.