Why high-performing people are feeling low on energy - and how to overcome it in 2022
I’ll start with a simple question you might not have considered: How’s your energy?
A highly respected coach told me that had started to ask her coachees this question. It struck me as a brilliant thing to ask, and I can see how it’s likely to produce a different response from the coachee compared to a simple “How are you?”. Depending on the answer (high, low etc), the coach uses the response to dig a little deeper into what’s behind the coachee feeling that way. In the spirit of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I’ll be honest and say that I’ve started using it too!
To state the obvious, it’s been another challenging year. My experience as a coach suggests that regardless of the work you do - a large organisation, a small/medium-sized business, your own startup or even looking for work - it’s been a really hard slog. Cumulatively, it’s all starting to take its toll.
With the development and deployment of the vaccines the world is clearly in a better place than it was a year ago. Yet in the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed the inevitable breakthrough of a variant with the ability to cause new complications and add to a sense that we’re finishing 2021 having taken two steps forward and one back. It’s frustrating, destabilising, and dispiriting.
I coach a lot of high-performing, mid/senior executives at a range of organisations, from different countries and cultures. These are people at the top of their game; running hybrid teams and business units; accustomed to multiple projects on the go at any one time and frequent global travel to carry out their duties.
When the pandemic hit and lockdown imposed, I saw their working lives change overnight. The sum of the parts that made up the role - giving it enjoyment and meaning - dissolved.
However, there was one constant that took the place of everything: back-back-to video calls, often across longer hours of the day.
This may sound familiar to you. Some coachees would tell me that, initially, this worked fine; less travel was nice as they could spend more time at home with their family. Other coachees mentioned that they were grateful for a break from commuting to the office; some talked of more than three hours saved each day (not to mention the cost). If the price to pay for this was a couple of longer working days per week from home then no problem, right?
After a while though, the video calls became tiring. Some coachees described it as double-whammy; the meetings would be timed to finish right up to the minute, with the next meeting beginning the very same moment. Often there was no time to get up and make a drink or disconnect for a couple of precious minutes before the next meeting. The second part of the whammy was this: in a physical meeting you might at least get up and change meeting rooms or floors. Maybe you’d drop by the staff kitchen to refill a water bottle or make a coffee and have a quick debrief with a colleague before moving to the next meeting. Suddenly, all of this was gone.
I’ve noticed a pattern emerging. From the conversations I’ve had this year with coachees, other coaches, colleagues, and friends, they tell me that despite being employed, mostly paid well and with access to all the first-world comforts, they feel apathy, exhaustion, and a lack of motivation with their daily work. They feel lonely and disinterested. They’re not looking forward to 2022 and the thought of starting all over again.
As one coachee puts it succinctly: “It’s still work, but without any of the other stuff that makes work enjoyable.”
In short, I discovered that many people are missing the sense of purpose and enjoyment that comes from their work. These sensations have simply been replaced with...well, more work.
I caught up with a former colleague recently who described it well. When the pandemic first hit and lockdown was brought in, the workforce was broadly divided along two lines. One, those who could do their jobs from home (as described above). Two, those workers who were deemed “essential” by their respective governments and required to keep coming into work.
Those with the office-based jobs - well paid, travelling occasionally and doing what they deemed “useful” work - were suddenly told to stay at home. They weren’t needed.
As she put it, those with jobs that are critical in a pandemic - doctors, nurses, carers, transport workers, teachers, supermarket workers - were told to keep coming in. Their lives had meaning. A purpose to get up in the morning.
I thought this was a great point. Governments clearly defined the roles that were of the highest value at that moment in time, and everybody else was told to do their work from behind a computer screen, at home, with minimal to zero physical contact with their colleagues.
There’s so much about the world we can’t change at the moment. It therefore seems to me even more valuable to focus on the things we can change, no matter how small they might initially seem. If you’ve been feeling any of the things I’ve written above, then here’s my advice for giving yourself the best shot at 2022:
Double down on purpose
This is big, existential thing to tackle and requires serious time and thought! I work with a lot of coachees who highlight this as a key issue. I’ve recently published a webinar series on Teachable and the first module deals almost entirely with the challenge around your purpose and vision. There’s plenty of reading widely available online, and lots of practical exercises to help you draw out your purpose. Google it today and start thinking about why you do what you do. There’s no time to waste.
Boost your mental health
Remember those positive habits we got ourselves into when the pandemic first hit? Are you still doing them? Yes? Well done you! No? I’m here to tell you that it might be time to dig out that list and take another look…
Of course, there’s no such thing as a definitive list but it’s about doing more of the things that work for you. We know the things that help: how about (re)starting a physical exercise regime before, during or after work? If you’re based in Europe, the short winter days make it a little more challenging. There’s plenty of scientific research out there to highlight the benefit of getting out for some activity before you start your working day. If not exercise, how else can you switch off from your work? Pick up a book? Call your best friend? Cook yourself a healthy meal? Now’s the moment to look at the boundaries between your “office” life and your home life. Your mind will thank you for it! Start the process by asking yourself this: “What do I enjoy doing when I’m not working, and how can I do more of it?”
This isn’t a drill (anymore)
As mentioned, the pandemic isn’t going anywhere fast; two years have gone by already since we first heard reports about a new virus circulating in the population. In some form or another, Covid-19 is going to be with us for a while yet.
My point here is that the situation we’re in requires a change of mindset over the longer term. It can be straightforward enough to make some changes over a 3–6 month period, but the habits you create now really do need to embed into your life in a more holistic way. As you plan how you’re spending your time in the new year, make permanent the things you do inside and outside of work to manage your time and wellbeing effectively.
Lead by example, now more than ever
I described earlier some of the things that people are missing from face-to-face contact in the office. While video calls have allowed you to continue meetings with your immediate team, you might find it’s the cross-functional relationships that people are losing. In every way, a pandemic shrinks our world. As a manager, don’t be afraid to open up to your team and be honest if you’re finding it difficult. By going first, you give permission for them to do the same thing back to you. Now more than ever, as a leader you must be able to admit that you’re struggling: after all, you’re not a robot. Your honesty will make you seem more human. Think about the alternative: how are companies ever going to get people to come back together in an office in the future if you can’t express it? Don’t hesitate to describe exactly what it is you’re missing; a quick chat in the kitchen; leaning over your desk to talk to a colleague. Remind them of the benefits that working in the same physical space as others can have on our mental health.
Marginal gains are your friend
Harness the cumulative benefit of several small steps over the course of a day, a week, or a month. Here’s some examples:
1. Start a simple note titled “things I’m grateful for this day/week”. When you look back and wonder what you’ve accomplished, use this list as a positive reminder of what you did. Frankly, on some days it might be as simple as going for a walk or catching up with a friend.
2. Set yourself the goal of getting out for some exercise one day before you start work. How did it make you feel? Did you notice anything about the way you worked that day? If it feels good, you can always increase the number of days. Don’t let it become a chore, though; do it simply because you enjoy it.
3. Where possible, create a 5-minute gap between your video calls. After a 2-hour call, create a 10-minute break. Again, write down how you felt before your next meeting. Did you come back a little more refreshed?
4. Shut down your computer at the end of the working week (or every day if you can!) Lots of my coachees do this as a way of creating separation in their work and home lives. Better still, put your computer out of view when you’re not working. It might not sound like much, but this is all about finding 10 things that can improve your wellbeing by 1%, rather than searching for 1 thing that gives you a 10% uplift (highly unlikely or you’d have done it by now, right?!)
So, let me ask you again: how’s your energy?!
If you’re able to, have a complete rest over the festive period. I wish you all the best for the new year ahead…whatever it’s got in store for us all.