Burnt Out to Lit Up

6Find Awe at Work: How to Turn Your Work Nightmares into Epic Adventures

“Where do I begin?” I wondered, as I closed my eyes.

I was in a review meeting with an executive coach supporting one of our senior leaders. I was expecting the conversation to be about the leader, and was caught off-guard by his sudden, introspective question: “What’s your top worry at work right now?”

The truth was that most days, I felt like I was playing a rapid round of Tetris with blocks falling from the sky—escalating financial and market pressures, global social tensions, everyday people problems, and the lingering work-life aftershocks of a pandemic. Each day presented a new challenge in fitting together these unpredictable pieces, and the game seemed set to expert mode.

But one worry soon overshadowed the rest: “The growing anger and frustration among our managers deeply troubles me,” I told him.

I went on, “It’s like a dark, pervasive shadow hanging over their daily interactions, a breeding ground for workplace nightmares.” Chronic fear driven from uncertainty about the state of the world and crippling resource constraints not only slowed down creativity and productivity but, more significantly, wore down managers and their teams. Beyond communication breakdowns, it showed up in the bitterness and snarkiness of their interactions. This realization hit me hard: the widespread dissatisfaction and exhaustion that led to destructive behaviors and eroded trust also stifled the potential for joy and ...