Are today’s CEOs overwhelmed? The quick answer is yes. Experts at many executive development firms are noticing this is a current trend in today’s business environment.
We recently spoke with Jenn Lofgren, managing partner at executive development firm Incito with new offices in Texas, and asked what being overwhelmed looks like in the business setting.
“Overwhelm is the feeling of being overtaken by too much. It can feel like you’re overstretched, buried, or even drowning with too much to do, think, or manage,” stated Lofgren.
For most leaders, this feeling of being overwhelmed seems to appear out of the blue. However, our expert explained that this sense of overload is often comparable to the “parable of the boiling frog.” This means that the heat slowly creeps up on the person until they feel inundated and as if they are incapable of overcoming the situation.
This cycle can lead to feelings of anxiety, anger, panic, exhaustion, burnout, and even breakdown. We were curious about what’s causing this sense of overwhelm for CEOs.
Our Incito expert shared, “Some of the things I’m hearing lead to overwhelm for leaders recently are: attracting and retaining great talent, or any talent with increasing demands to produce more, faster, better.”
As most of us know, attracting and retaining post-pandemic talent is almost impossible. In fact, a national survey conducted in April asked more than 200 human resource professionals about the reason behind the talent shortage, and they echoed labor shortages due to companies being forced to shut down or restrict business before rapidly reopening following the coronavirus pandemic.
The shortage of workers isn’t just affecting manual and industrial service workers; it’s also a problem for professional firms.
“Employee well-being has not fared well since the outbreak of the pandemic,” a report detailing the survey begins. “Especially since the number of burned-out employees increased, the number of employees seeking support for mental health increased, the number of employees seeking support for mental health increased, usage of (the) Employee Assistance Plan increased, the number of vacation days decreased, work-life balance decreased, and the number of hours worked increased.”
It’s evident that these employee-related issues are challenging for company leaders. So we wanted to know what CEOs can do to combat the feeling of being overwhelmed.
“Before you can take steps to address overwhelm, you’ll need to know you’re in it and hopefully early before you’re fully immersed in the storm of it,” warned Lofgren.
Most experts recommend that business leaders schedule a ‘reflective moment’ each week, which simply means you check on yourself and how you feel. Have you been working more hours? Accepting more phone calls after work? How’s your sleep pattern? An excellent tool for helping with this process is the Yerkes-Dodson Stress Curve, and it’s designed to assess your stress and performance levels monthly.
Of course, some leaders don’t want to talk about these feelings, and some who do rarely receive solutions to fix the issue. However, keeping these feelings inside can lead to CEOs feeling isolated and alone along with a sense of overwhelm. In that, they feel as if they’re the only CEO who can’t handle their position. Yet, talking about it with their peers will show them they are not alone.
Our expert also explained the importance of setting boundaries by explaining, “Boundaries could be around the meetings you attend, scheduling in ‘thinking time’ and ‘desk time’ in your day or limiting the amount of work that you do after hours, including checking in on emails and messages after hours.”
Though it should go further than that, leaders also need to have candid conversations about what needs to happen for them to calm their minds. Rather than getting caught up in feelings of playing the victim, it’s best to admit that there are options. Most of the time, it’s just simply reframing your mindset and asking yourself, “Where do I go from here?”
Ultimately, Lofgren suggested that the best way for CEOs to deal with being overwhelmed is to take baby steps.
“On my most challenging days, I pull out a sticky note and write one to three baby steps I commit to completing that day,” said Lofgren.
Breaking your work down into smaller steps is often the best method for renewing a CEO’s feeling of being in control and accomplishment. This alone will increase feelings of fulfillment and self-worth.
So, just remember that everyone is consumed with a sense of overwhelm at one point or another. Remain positive and find your way through with proper support.
Jenn Lofgren is the managing partner at Incito and a Master Certified Coach, marking her as one of only 5% with this certification in North America. Incito recently opened offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. For more information on Incito, visit incitoleadership.com
